


Crave

by Helenas_Mangos



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-04 01:52:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16337468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helenas_Mangos/pseuds/Helenas_Mangos
Summary: Piper is determined to do well in her introduction to psychology course even if it means asking the intimidating TA for help. College AU. Vauseman.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

Piper fidgeted anxiously from foot to foot as she stared into the open door of graduate office 408. A handful of papers were clutched in a tight grasp held at her hip; her backpack dangled precariously off of one shoulder. There was still time to turn around and pretend like she was never there, considering the two occupants of the office had yet to notice the nervous-looking blonde who stood uncomfortably in their doorway. Piper mentally weighed the pros and cons of leaving, before wincing slightly to herself and taking a determined step forward.

 

She cleared her throat softly to announce her presence and said, “I’m looking for Alex Vause?” Piper’s nerves made the statement sound more like a question, her voice taking on a higher register on her Introduction to Psychology TA’s last name.

 

The office was set up so that each of the four walls of the room had a desk against it. Currently only two of the desks were in use, and both occupants were seated at the desks with their backs facing the doorway. Neither girl turned to look at Piper. The wild-haired one sitting at the desk to the right of the door had earbuds in and was bopping her head slightly to the beat as she focused intently on the bright screen of her laptop. The dark haired girl at the desk directly across from the door, the girl Piper knew to be her TA, also didn’t look away from whatever she was currently working on, but said almost completely monotone, “What’s your name?” She sounded completely disinterested.

 

Piper took a few tentative steps into the room toward her TA. She spoke as confidently as she could make her voice. She was under the impression that her TA appreciated assertiveness. “Piper. Piper Chapman. I’m in Dr. Healy’s Introduction to Psychology class. I was hoping we could go over a few concepts that are giving me some trouble. I didn’t do as well as I would have liked on the first exam.”

 

Alex finally swiveled her desk chair around to acknowledge Piper’s existence. Her smirk was immediate as she took in the blonde’s timid stance, and Piper felt her cheeks warm as the older girl sized her up. She may have been able to make herself sound confident, but she knew she looked anything but. The blonde kept her eyes trained on the floor, wishing she would have turned around and left when she had the chance. _Was maintaining her 4.0 GPA really worth interacting with the intimidating psychology teaching assistant?_

 

As Alex’s eyes swept over her body, Piper thought back to the first day of class, the only day Alex had been in attendance, and how Dr. Healy had had the TA introduce herself. Alex had been wearing tight black pants with a loose fitting back shirt that day, her rose tattoo peeking out from under the short sleeves of her top, faded blue streaks in her jet black hair. She was taller than Piper, and as she stood to introduce herself, she pushed her thick-framed secretary-esque glasses onto the top of her head. Piper took notice of her black winged eyeliner and striking green eyes. This girl exuded cool, and Piper felt a strange fluttering in her belly as she watched her.

 

The dark haired girl had faced the class and said calmly, “My name is Alex. I’ll be your TA for this class. If you have any questions about the content covered by Dr. Healy in this course or your grades, my office hours and email address are listed on your syllabus.” Her eyes flickered around to the many faces in the room. When her eyes landed on Piper, a slow smirk formed on her lips in tandem with an eyebrow raise. It was a look that a predator gives its prey seconds before the pounce. Piper had averted her gaze immediately.

 

Standing here in Alex’s office, Piper found herself once again on the receiving end of that same predatory look.

 

Alex gestured to an empty chair and said, “Take a seat, kid. What concepts are you struggling with?” Just like that, she was all business.

 

Piper pulled the chair closer to Alex’s desk. She began to shuffle through her papers nervously. “I brought my exam as well as the major concepts worksheet. I thought we could go over a few of the concepts I got wrong?”

 

The younger girl placed her exam on the corner of Alex’s desk and continued to flip through the papers attempting to locate the worksheet. Alex drew the exam closer to her.

 

Just as Piper located the major concepts sheet, she heard Alex snort out a laugh. Piper looked up quickly into Alex’s eyes and said defensively, “What?”

 

“You got a B+ on this exam!” Alex exclaimed, with a raspy laugh. The darker haired girl looked at Piper with an incredulous smile and teasing gleam in her eyes. Piper’s stomach flipped unpleasantly.

 

“Yes.” Piper replied, confused and hesitant.

 

“That’s a good grade, Piper. I’d venture to say you have a pretty good grasp on the unit,” Alex said. Piper thought she sounded almost condescending, as if Piper was wasting her time.

 

Piper felt herself growing defensive at Alex’s dismissal and said, “But I expected to make an A.”

 

Alex laughed and shook her head slightly, “Of course you did. You freshman have no idea what to expect when you get to college. You have to learn that you really need to put forth an effort to achieve the As that were basically handed to you in high school.”

 

Piper’s brows furrowed and her nose scrunched up, clearly displaying that she was offended by Alex’s quick conclusions about her. “First of all,” she began firmly, to set the record straight. “I’m not a freshman; I’m a senior.” She watched as Alex’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and Piper was unsure if the surprise stemmed from Piper standing up for herself or from the information she had revealed. “And secondly, I know that! That’s why I came to you for help! I realize a B+ is not a bad grade, but I have worked very hard to maintain my 4.0 average, and I’d really hate to let that slip for a course I’m not even required to take for my major! So can we please just go over positive and negative reinforcement and punishment? Please?!” Her voice had risen considerably throughout her tirade and her face had reddened with anger and annoyance.

 

Alex just looked amused, a hint of a smile playing at her lips and calmly replied with a slight nod, “Okay.”

 

Alex spent the next 20 minutes explaining the concepts to Piper, and the blonde eventually calmed enough to pay attention to what the TA was saying. She left the office with a much better understanding of the concepts she had struggled with and the realization that Alex was actually a pretty good teacher.

 

She paused just outside the office to rearrange the papers in her backpack and couldn’t help but overhear a voice that must have belonged to the other girl in the office say, “Who was that?”

 

“A student in Healy’s Intro to Psych class.” Alex replied.

 

“She’s cute. You should hit that.” The wild-haired girl replied suggestively.

 

Piper felt the heat rush to her cheeks immediately. She turned and bolted as fast as she could down the hallway, not wanting to wait to hear her TA’s reply.

 

…

 

Alex glanced at her watch for the 8th time in the last hour. The blonde was late. Well, could someone even be late if there were no scheduled plans in the first place? Regardless, the younger girl had made it a point to show up to each of Alex’s designated office hours since the first time she had come by two weeks ago, so it seemed strange for her not to show up today.

 

Alex sighed, accepting the fact that she wasn’t going to see Piper today and tried to stifle down her disappointment. Typically, she hated when students came to her office hours (luckily it didn’t happen often), but for some reason it was different with Piper. Piper was smart and actually cared about what she was learning. Alex looked forward to the brief visits; she felt proud when she explained a difficult concept in a way that made sense to the younger girl. She got way more enjoyment than she probably should have from teasing the blonde, and similarly took pleasure in watching the girl’s temper flare when Alex would push just the right button.

 

She shook her head and berated herself for feeling this way towards a student. She stood up from her desk, made sure her wallet was tucked into her bag, and exited the office. She was struggling to lock up when she heard soft footsteps behind her.

 

“Hey.” Piper’s voice. She sounded uncertain.

 

Alex looked over her shoulder and shot the blonde a smirk. “You’re late.”

 

Piper frowned and looked at her watch. “Don’t you have office hours for another thirty minutes?”

 

Alex shrugged and said, “Technically.” She finished locking up and turned toward Piper. “I was just going to grab some coffee. Want to come?”

 

Alex noticed the faint blush tinge Piper’s cheeks. She gave Alex a shy smile and replied, “Sure.” She hesitated, then gestured toward the door. “But don’t you have to be available if anyone else shows up?”

 

Alex let out a real laugh, causing Piper to jump slightly in surprise at the unexpected sound. She couldn’t contain the smile that spread across her face as she noticed how much she liked the sound of it. “You’re, like, the only one who ever shows up, Miss Overachiever,” Alex teased.

 

“Seriously?” Piper sounded surprised as she began to follow Alex down the hallway and out of the building.

 

They walked in step next to one another as Alex nodded. She replied with a light smile, “No offense, Piper, but an intro level course doesn’t exactly contain difficult material and most students are content with receiving Cs or Bs in the course. Not everyone strives for your level of perfection.”

 

“Maybe they should,” Piper replied simply.

 

Alex shook her head. “It’s not necessary, though. Why kill yourself by putting in maximum time and effort to achieve the best, when all that matters is that piece of paper you get at the end of four years. Cs get degrees and degrees get you hired. Employers don’t care if you got As in every class you took as an undergrad.”

 

Piper shook her head and said with a slight chuckle, “I don’t _kill myself_ over schoolwork; I enjoy working hard and then seeing it pay off. I don’t do it because I think higher grades will get me a better job. I do it for myself.” Piper paused and looked at Alex out of the corner of her eye. They had reached the small coffee shop on campus and made their way to the back of the line. She continued, “All of this seems kind of funny coming from a graduate student. I mean, you must have worked hard to get where you are. Studying in a PhD program is a pretty big deal.” She smiled up at Alex as she extended the compliment.

 

Alex seemed to ponder for a second on her response. She finally just shrugged and said with a small smile, “You have no idea, Pipes.”

…

 

Piper sat cross-legged on her bed, psychology textbook opened in front of her and pages of notes strewn all across the comforter. She was reading over the notes she and Alex had gone over earlier that day in an attempt to solidify the concepts into her memory. As she read, the voice in her head sounded deep and raspy, as if Alex herself was reading the notes to Piper, and they were back in her office studying together. She found that remembering Alex’s voice explaining the topics actually helped her remember certain aspects of the concepts she was studying; there was something about the older girl’s voice as she spoke the words that made it easier to access in Piper’s mind.

 

She found her thoughts drifting from the material to her TA. Alex was so intriguing. She came off as intimidating and maybe even a bit standoffish, but really she had only been open and friendly toward Piper. Piper found herself desperate to learn more about the older, mysterious girl.

 

Piper knew it was Alex’s job as her TA, but she couldn’t help feeling special when Alex would give the blonde her undivided attention during her office hours to go over the material Piper struggled with. Admittedly, Piper found herself pretending to find certain concepts difficult, just so that she’d have an excuse to stop by and see Alex three times a week.  As Alex had said, the course was introductory level and the material wasn’t too difficult.

 

Piper was startled out of her thoughts when her bed suddenly dipped. Polly was currently shuffling all of Piper’s notes into a stack. She set the stack onto the open textbook, closing them into it to mark Piper’s place.

 

“Okay, what gives?” Polly said, using her foot to nudge the book to the edge of the bed as she situated herself against Piper’s headboard, legs stretching out in front of her.

 

Piper looked at her best friend confused. She adjusted herself so that her back leaned against the wall, her knees brushing against Polly’s calves and said, “What?” She was still a little thrown by the sudden appearance of her roommate.

 

Polly laughed. “I’ve been standing in your doorway saying your name for the past five minutes. You were totally zoned out.”

 

Piper blushed. She fibbed, “I was just studying.”

 

Polly knocked her legs into Piper’s knees and said with a knowing smile, “Bullshit! I saw the look on your face; you were daydreaming! Spill. Who is he?”

 

Suddenly, Piper was shy. She looked down at her lap where she was fiddling with her fingers and mumbled, “It’s nothing. I think I have, like, a girl-crush or something on my psych TA.”

 

Piper heard Polly’s intake of breath, and looked up to meet her widened eyes. “Girl-crush? Or crush-crush?”

 

Piper’s cheeks reddened further. She gave in, knowing it would be pointless to lie. “Crush-crush,” she said with a nervous smile. She had only recently come to the understanding that she was attracted to both men and women equally, and newer still was opening up about it to her best friend. Luckily, Polly had been nothing but supportive of Piper, which did make it easier to discuss with her despite the newness of it all.

 

“Oh my god, Pipe! Tell me all about her! Are you gonna make a move?” Polly asked excitedly. She had been badgering Piper a lot lately about her current lack of a love life.  Polly had been dating her current boyfriend Pete for a few months now, and sometimes Piper tagged along as their third-wheel, but Piper knew Polly really wanted to be able to double-date.

 

“Probably not!” Piper screeched. “She’s my TA! She probably just sees me as some dumb annoying student. I go to all of her office hours, Pol. I’m like some lame-o low-key stalker.” Polly laughed at Piper’s admission, and Piper joined along.

 

“Oh my god, Piper!” Polly said in disbelief through her laughter.

 

Piper smacked her friend’s leg. “I can’t help it. It’s like I need to see her. She’s, like, super confident and really smart; and she has this badass, tough girl vibe. It’s hot.”

 

Polly smiled wide, teasing. “Sounds like you’re really into her. What do you guys talk about? Do you flirt?”

 

Piper kind of scrunched up her face a bit and frowned slightly. “Well, we mostly just talk about content from the class. She explains some of the tougher material to me.”

 

Polly frowned at the blonde with a look of teasing disappointment in her eyes. “Piper! You need to take it to the next level, my friend. She’ll never know you’re interested in her for anything other than help in class if that’s all you ever talk about!”

 

Piper buried her head in her hands. She groaned and said, “I know. You’re right, Pol.”

 

Polly patted Piper’s leg encouragingly. “Soooooo, how much more studying do you have?” When Piper looked up at her to shrug, Polly’s grin became devious. “I was thinking we should order a pizza and watch movies all night! I need a break from studying.”

 

Piper smiled, realizing she wouldn’t get much more done either, even if she tried. “That sounds amazing. You wanna find something good on Netflix while I order the pizza?”

 

As Piper dialed their favorite pizza place (she wasn’t even embarrassed that she had the number saved into her contacts), she promised herself that she would step it up with Alex this week and get to know her TA on a more personal level.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, kid.” Alex said to Piper when she showed up at her office the following Monday. Piper blushed; Alex calling her ‘kid’ made her feel the exact opposite of childlike. In fact, to Piper, it sounded more like a term of endearment.

 

“Hi,” Piper sounded almost shy. “Wanna go for coffee again? I could really use some caffeine. Mondays are always rough for me.”

 

Alex smiled sympathetically. “I never turn down coffee. Just let me lock up.” Alex grabbed a post it and scribbled a quick note _Alex Vause will be back at 2:30._ She stuck the note to the door and proceeded to lock it.

 

“I thought you said no one ever shows up?” Piper questioned, gesturing to the note.

 

Alex smirked. “Must you question everything?” She joked, making Piper flush with slight embarrassment. “Usually no one shows up. The only exceptions are before an exam and after an exam. You guys have your second exam on Wednesday, right?”

 

Piper nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Are you sure you should leave then?”

 

Alex shrugged and said, “I put a note up. If they really need my help they’ll wait around until 2:30 or email me their questions. I’m not too worried about it, Pipes.” Piper knew her adherence to rules greatly amused her TA.

 

Piper smiled and said, “Okay. Let’s go.”

 

When they arrived at the coffee shop, the line was relatively short. They placed their orders, and Piper insisted on paying for Alex’s coffee.

 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Alex said with a chuckle.

 

“I know I didn’t _have_ to, but I wanted to.” Piper smiled endearingly up at the older girl. “Think of it as my way of saying thank you for all the help you’ve given me over the past few weeks. I feel so much more confident about doing well on this exam.”

 

“Well good. I’m glad I could be of service in your quest to maintain the title of University of Litchfield’s Greatest Overachiever,” Alex, of course, responded to Piper’s praise with a joke. Piper just smiled sheepishly at their little running joke at her own expense. She knew it was just a joke, but she hoped Alex didn’t just see her as a goody-goody. Alex grabbed Piper’s coffee and handed it to her, and then grabbed her own cup. She looked around the mostly empty café and said, “Do you wanna sit and drink our coffees here? Or do you need to get back?”

 

“I don’t have anywhere else to be!” Piper rushed out eagerly. She couldn’t contain her excitement at the prospect of getting to spend more time with the dark haired girl. Alex looked a bit taken aback from her enthusiasm, so Piper blushed and dialed it back a bit. She stated much more calmly, “I mean, I have a break until three, so I have time to sit.”

 

Alex smirked amusedly and led the way to a table in the corner. As they got situated, Alex took a careful sip of her coffee, testing out the temperature. Satisfied that it was cool enough, she took a drink, then locked eyes on Piper who was licking a bit of whipped cream off the tip of her nose. Alex’s eyes darkened at the sight as a bolt of hot arousal hit her low in the gut.

 

After getting the bit of whipped cream off her nose, Piper focused her eyes on Alex. The look her TA was giving her made her belly flip. Her cheeks flushed and she cleared her throat softly, averting her eyes.

 

Alex snapped out of it so fast that Piper was left wondering if she had imagined the look in the first place. In an attempt to hide how flustered she was, she took another drink of her coffee.

 

“Is there anything you wanted to go over one last time to review for the exam?” Alex asked, grasping for a safe topic of conversation.

 

Piper shook her head. She was relieved to have the attention off of whatever had just happened between them. “No, I think I’m good.” She smiled at Alex and remembered what Polly told her a few days ago. She asked, “So what do you do as a grad student? Other than TA-ing, of course?”

 

Alex stared at Piper. She was the epitome of WASP-y at the moment, sipping from some girly, sugar-y coffee drink, her long blonde hair pulled into a loose messy bun. She looked smaller than usual in her oversized mustard-colored sweater, and her dark blue skinny jeans were tucked into a pair of knee-high brown riding boots. Alex usually rolled her eyes at basic-looking girls, but the look suited Piper. The younger girl took another sip from her drink, and looked up at Alex expectantly through her long lashes.

 

Alex tried to shove those thoughts aside and said, “I spend most of my time doing research. I’m getting my PhD in experimental social psychology.”

 

“Sounds fancy,” Piper replied. She thought back to her syllabus for her intro class and said, “We haven’t got to it yet, but does social psychology focus on, like, interactions between people?”

 

“Pretty much. Social psychology is a huge field and contains many sub-fields and areas of interest,” Alex answered.

 

Piper smiled coyly and asked, “And what’s your area of interest, Alex?” She couldn’t keep a flirtatious undertone from her voice.

 

Alex’s eyebrow raised in response. She replied, “My primary interest is coercion; how to get people to do what you want them to. I’m interested in the psychology behind marketing products and how to get people to buy things they don’t really need. It’s kind of the evil side to psychology. A lot of psychologists _hate_ marketing.” Alex seemed proud of the fact that her research seemed a bit controversial. She continued, “I’m also interested in prejudice and stereotyping, specifically toward LGBTQ youth.”

 

“That sounds really interesting, Alex. What first got you interested in psychology?” Piper asked, taking another sip of her drink. She was still unsure about Alex’s sexual orientation, but the clues were leading Piper to believe that she was probably at least bisexual, like Piper. Given the comment Alex’s office-mate, who Piper had learned was named Nicky, made the first time Piper stopped in for Alex’s office hours, the fact that she studied LGBTQ youth _specifically_ , and considering all the times Piper caught Alex looking at her in a way that screamed _I’m into you_ , the evidence was definitely in her favor. And given this new hope, she was even more curious and intrigued to learn more about her elusive psych TA.

 

Alex smiled and shook her head softly, as if remembering back to a time long ago. She said, “I had this psychology teacher in high school who took a liking to me. I grew up pretty poor, Piper; raised by a single mom. We didn’t have much, and I never expected to go to college, because I knew we wouldn’t be able to afford it.” Alex was speaking into her cup, but looked up at Piper as she said this. It was as if she wanted to gauge Piper’s reaction to this bit of information.

 

Piper smiled encouragingly at Alex, and when Alex didn’t detect even a hint of judgment in her face, she continued. “I was a good student, and I guess Ms. Bartlett saw potential in me. She helped me apply for colleges and scholarships that I had no idea even existed. I managed to get enough scholarships to pay for my first year, and then enlisted in a work-study program for the remainder of my time in undergrad. I worked two jobs in addition to taking classes, but in the end it was all worth it. Ms. Bartlett was just so passionate about psychology and she’s really the reason why I took an interest in it. But once I started studying it at the university level, I really enjoyed it. Humans are so complex. I love learning about why we do the things we do; I just find it fascinating.”

 

Piper looked at Alex in awe. “That’s an incredible story, Alex. I can’t imagine doing all this while working two jobs at the same time.” Piper blushed and looked down at the table, embarrassed. She said, “I don’t even have a job. My parents pay for my tuition.”

 

Alex shrugged and said, “You shouldn’t feel guilty or embarrassed about that, Piper. You’re a really hard worker and a smart woman. I think it’s great that your parents are able to help you achieve your dreams.” For a second Alex couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. She had always despised the undergrads at U of L, as most of them came from wealthy families, and felt entitled because mommy and daddy paid for everything and they had never had to work for anything in their lives. Most things were just handed to them, on a silver platter no less. But Alex was finding that those things don’t apply to Piper. Piper was an enigma, the exception to the rule.

 

Piper shrugged and confessed, “My dad cheats on my mom.” She didn’t know why she said it, except that maybe she was trying to show Alex that just because her parents paid for things didn’t mean her life was perfect.

 

“I’m sorry, Piper,” Alex said, laying a sympathetic hand on Piper’s.

 

Piper glanced at their hands then back at Alex. “My mom knows. She just pretends it doesn’t happen and that everything is fine.” Piper took a deep breath in and then forced a smile. “I’m sorry; I don’t know why I brought that up. We should talk about something else.”

 

Alex smiled at Piper and removed her hand to take another drink of her coffee. “We can talk about whatever you want to, Pipes.”

 

Piper laughed and said, “I don’t want to talk about my parents; too depressing. Let’s talk about something happier.”

 

Alex smirked and said, “Okay, Piper. I just spilled my whole life story. Why don’t you tell me something about yourself? You’ve mentioned you’re not a psych major, so what are you studying?”

 

At that, Piper perked up. “I’m double-majoring in theater and English. I want to be an author and a playwright. I thought studying psychology would help me write better; make my characters more believable. I’m working on my senior Capstone project now. I’m writing a play that will be staged next semester!”

 

“Wow, Piper, that is really impressive. I’ll have to come see it.” Alex said supportively. Piper blushed and hoped she and Alex would still be friends at that point. She wondered what would happen next semester when the older girl was no longer her TA.

 

“Thanks, Al. You should totally come! I’ve been working really hard on it.” Piper finished her drink and checked the time on her phone. “We should probably actually head back. It’s already 2:30.”

 

Alex sighed and said, “Yeah, I need to get back.” She finished her drink and the two girls stood and walked toward the exit. “Are you heading back in the direction of the psych building?”

 

Piper nodded shyly, and they began to walk back in that direction. Alex asked, “So what’s your play about?”

 

Piper smiled mischievously and said playfully, “I guess you’ll have to come see it in May to find out.”

 

Alex nudged Piper’s shoulder gently with her own. “You’re gonna make me wait that long?”

 

Piper nodded, smirk still in place. They arrived at the psychology building and Alex said, “This is my stop, kid. Thanks again for the coffee.”

 

Piper swayed awkwardly, almost feeling as though this was the end of a date. She wanted to tell Alex how much fun she had and ask when she could see her again. But this wasn’t a date, so Piper settled with, “No problem. I had fun getting to know more about you, Alex.”

 

Alex smirked at Piper’s sudden shyness. “Me too. You’re not half bad, kid.”

 

As Piper backed away with a small wave, Alex was inwardly cursing herself. It was against the rules for graduate students to date undergraduate students at the U of L. Up until today, Alex wasn’t sure of Piper’s feelings toward her, and she could pretend their interactions were harmless. But today, Alex definitely got the feeling that Piper was attracted to her; and the worst part was, the realization made Alex unreasonably happy. This situation would be so much easier to handle if the attraction wasn’t mutual.

 

…

 

Alex didn’t hold office hours on Wednesday because of the exam, so Piper had to wait until Friday to see her again.

 

Their exams had been returned to them in class that day, and Piper was eager to show Alex that she had made an A on it. She bounded up the stairs of the psychology building and rounded the corner that led to the graduate student offices.

 

Without knocking, she barged into Alex’s office and came to an immediate halt. Some girl Piper didn’t recognize was leaned up against Alex’s desk and Alex was standing in front of her. And they were _close_. Piper’s not-so-discrete entrance drew their attention, and when Alex saw Piper standing in her doorway, she took a step back from the other girl.

 

Piper tried to hide her hurt and confusion. Alex wasn’t anything to her except her introduction to psychology TA. She hadn’t done anything to indicate to Piper that she was interested in her as anything but a student, so Piper shouldn’t have been so upset at the possibility that Alex had a girlfriend. Except she was.

 

Piper did her best to hide her emotions and plastered on a smile. “I got an A on the exam!” she said, ignoring the other girl.

 

Alex rolled her eyes. She said teasingly, “I know, Pipes. Who do you think records the grades?” Then she smiled more sincerely and said, “Congrats; you definitely deserved it.”

 

The other girl had been inching toward the door during the interaction. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I didn’t mean to interrupt your office hours. I’ll see you later, Alex.”

 

After she left, the atmosphere in the office was tinged with slight awkwardness. Piper kept her eyes focused on her shoes. She plucked up a bit of courage and met Alex’s eyes. She asked, “Was that your girlfriend?”

 

“No,” Alex replied, “Well, it’s complicated.” She shrugged offering no further explanation.

 

Piper nodded slowly. “I see.” She stood awkwardly in the office for a few more minutes grasping at something to say. Alex wasn’t offering much help. “I should probably go. I’ll see you Monday.”

 

But when Monday rolled around, Piper didn’t show. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

“Get up.”

 

Piper removed her eyes from where they had been glued to the TV for the past hour to glare at her roommate.

 

“Piper, I mean it. You’ve been moping all week; enough is enough! I get it; I really do. You liked her a lot, but you _weren’t_. _even_. _dating_. She cannot be worth more than a week of sulking. Hell, even a week is too long.” Polly had moved in Piper’s line of vision so she could no longer use the TV as a distraction. Grabbing Piper’s arm, Polly began tugging her friend in an attempt to get her off the sofa.

 

Piper scowled at Polly’s attempt and whined, “Owww! Polly, stop; you’re hurting me.”

 

Polly immediately released Piper’s arm, and Piper grinned in triumph as she buried herself deeper into the couch cushions, pulling a blanket over her pajama-clad body.

 

Polly huffed in annoyance when she caught on to how Piper had played her. With both hands on her hips, Polly said authoritatively, “You’re coming tailgating with us.”

 

Piper rolled her eyes. “I don’t really feel up to it, Polly; I’m already working at a concessions booth at the game later. I just want to chill until I have to work.”

 

Polly dramatically collapsed onto the couch next to her best friend. She threw her legs over Piper’s lap and said, “Pipe, please? If not for yourself, do it for me. I miss my best friend! It will be so much more fun if you’re there. For reals.”

 

Piper closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose. She knew she’d give in, because Polly was, in fact, her best friend, and she found it hard to deny her much when she out-right begged for it like she was doing now. Polly was a master at the guilt trip.

 

But, honestly, Piper _was_ tired of wallowing over Alex. She was sick of feeling mopey and sorry for herself, and she knew she was missing out on things she’d normally think were really fun; like tailgating with her friends.

 

“Alright, fine,” Piper relented with an exaggerated sigh, but smiled genuinely. “When are we meeting up with everyone?”

 

“Yay!” Polly squealed and threw her arms around Piper in a side hug. “Can you be ready in thirty minutes?”

 

…

 

“Chug, chug, chug, chug!” Alex squeezed her empty beer can until it flattened out, proving its emptiness, and flung it to the ground. She wiped some of the amber liquid from her chin with her forearm, while lifting her other arm in victory. She grinned triumphantly as Luschek, Mendez, Poussey, and Nicky finished shot-gunning their own beers shortly after.

 

“Damn, Vause,” Nicky said, impressed with her friend’s aptitude for chugging beer. Alex gave an over-exaggerated bow, picking up the discarded beer can as she righted herself.

 

“So, what do I win?” Alex asked Nicky, smirking as she walked the can to a nearby recycling bin. The rest of the contestants began to disperse to other fun tailgating activities.

 

Nicky thinned her lips out and said, “I think your prize is waiting over there.” She nodded her head to the edge of one of their University of Litchfield canopy tents, where Silvie was sitting in a canvas chair, beer in hand, staring at Alex.

 

Alex rolled her eyes. She groaned and said, “I told her up front I wasn’t interested in anything serious, but she’s been following me around like a puppy for the past few weeks. She _never_ comes to these things, yet here she is.”

 

Nicky sighed and nodded knowingly. “That’s the problem with hooking up with other grad students in the department. If things get awkward, there’s no way to successfully avoid. You’re stuck in constant contact.”

 

Alex gave her friend a sympathetic look. They began making their way back toward the tents and their tailgating friends. “How are things with you and Morello?”

 

Nicky shrugged, but still managed a playful half-smirk. “Oh, you know, pretty shitty.”

 

Lorna Morello, Nicky, and Alex all started the program together last year, and at first they had been a pretty tight cohort. But then Nicky and Lorna started secretly hooking up, and Nicky had fallen pretty hard. This went on for most of the second semester of their first year, until the new cohort of students arrived a few months ago and Morello met Christopher.

 

“It’s just a pain in the ass to have to see them together; the way she fawns all over him; like he’s a Greek god or something. He’s not even close,” Nicky shook her head, pausing just outside their tailgating area. She lowered her voice and said with feeling, “I know he doesn’t really care about her. He’s just using her, and when he breaks her heart, I’ll be the one that picks up the pieces.”

 

Alex gave her a sympathetic shoulder bump. “I’m sorry, Nick; that has to suck.”

 

Nicky shrugged in response, a devilish smirk appearing on her face masking her previous vulnerability. “What about you? What’s the deal with you and Blondie? I haven’t seen her hanging around our office this week.”

 

Alex blew out a sigh. She said, “Yeah, I think she’s avoiding me. She walked in on me and Sylvie when we were having a kind of heated discussion. Piper asked if she was my girlfriend.”

 

“Woah! You didn’t tell me that. That basically confirms she’s into you. Why hasn’t she been coming around then? Wait, what did you tell her?”

 

Alex rasped out a self-deprecating laugh. “I told her it was complicated.”

 

“What the fuck, Vause? Last I checked, you were done with Sylvie. How is that complicated?”

 

Alex shrugged. She seemed resigned when she said, “Dating undergrads is against the rules, Nicky. It’s better if Piper thinks I’m taken.”

 

“Oh, come on.” Nicky replied disbelieving. “When did you become an abider of rules?”

 

Alex stopped walking, pulling her wild-haired friend to a stop as well. “When breaking them risks my position in this program. It’s not worth it. I’ve worked really hard to get here.”

 

“I know, but I can tell that you miss seeing her. You’ve been brooding more than usual.” Nicky said, tinging her serious observation with a bit of teasing. “It’s just a stupid rule, though. You’re both of age, consenting adults. I don’t see what the big deal is.”  


“Well, I do handle her grades,” Alex laughed.

 

“Trading As for sex, Vause? That’s actually quite genius,” Nicky ribbed.

 

But Alex didn’t laugh. “That’s how the university could see it.”

 

…

 

Piper and Polly stood side by side nursing mimosas as they watched Pete and Larry toss a Frisbee back and forth.

 

A particularly off-target throw from Larry sent the Frisbee out of sight, around a corner of canopy tents.

 

Piper gave Polly a pointed look. Her best friend’s motives had been quite clear since they had arrived to the tailgate, and Polly kept encouraging Piper into activities that forced her to spend time with the geeky boy. Her look said, _This is who you’re trying to set me up with? Come on._

 

Polly just shrugged sheepishly. She said, “It was Pete’s idea! He thought you two would hit it off.”

 

Piper just shook her head in response, but her attention was soon stolen by the appearance of a tall dark-haired figure holding up a Frisbee as she approached. _Alex_.

 

“Lose a Frisbee?” she asked as she entered their tailgating site. Piper watched as her face registered surprise, before settling into its normal cool and collected expression (smirk and all), as her gaze met Piper’s. “Hey, Piper.”

 

She felt Polly eyeing her with confusion. She was probably wondering how this stranger knew her. “Alex, hi.” She heard Polly suck in a quick breath of air through her nose and could see out of the corner of her eye Polly glancing quickly between her and Alex. She ignored her best friend and said to Alex, “I’m surprised to see you here; tailgating doesn’t really seem like your thing.”

 

Alex barked out a laugh and continued to move closer to Piper and her friends. She replied, “Lots of day-drinking and lawn games. Definitely right up my alley.”

 

Before Piper could respond, Polly exclaimed, “You should play a game with us! We were going to play corn-hole next!”

 

Alex eyed Polly, and Piper sensed her hesitation. Piper nudged Polly hard with her elbow and said quickly, “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

“No,” Alex said coolly bringing her gaze back to lock with Piper’s, “I want to.” Piper felt a shiver run up her spine. Alex’s voice sounded even deeper and huskier than normal.

 

“Awesome!” Polly said way too enthusiastically, making Piper cringe. She knew Alex was probably regretting her decision to hang out with them. Alex wasn’t really a fan of perky. “Alex and I can be one team,” at this Alex raised a confused eyebrow, “and Pete can be on a team with Piper.” At everyone’s confused looks (especially Pete and Larry who were extremely out of the loop), she explained, “That way Pete and I can stand together at one end and Piper and Alex can stand together at the other.”

 

“What about me?” Larry asked. Piper figured he assumed he’d be paired with her.

 

“You can keep score, Larry.” Polly said.

 

A few minutes later they were all taking their positions next to the platforms, Polly and Pete with a handful of bean bags each. As Polly and Pete began the game, throwing bean bags one at a time toward the platform next to where Piper and Alex stood, Alex turned her attention to Piper taking in her appearance.

 

Piper blushed under Alex’s scrutiny. The older girl let out a soft chuckle and said, “Well don’t you look spirited.” And it was true. Piper was decked out in a heather gray pullover sweatshirt with the University of Litchfield’s logo and mascot, Leo the Lion, printed proudly across the front. She was wearing dark yellow leggings underneath, tucked into brown knee-high boots.

 

Piper blushed harder, but met Alex’s stare. She said with a hint of sarcasm, “It’s a tailgate. You’re supposed to look spirited.” It was her turn to eye the older girl up and down, and she did so unabashedly.

 

Alex was covered in one of her usual dark ensembles; today’s outfit consisting of a deep navy blue sweater and black skinny jeans. Her ensemble was finished off with a pair of black combat boots.

 

“Your turn!” Polly yelled from the opposite corn-hole platform.

 

Alex grabbed the black bean bags, letting Piper collect the yellow ones. Even their corn-hole game was Litchfield Lions themed.

 

Piper watched as Alex swung her arm back then launched the bean bag toward Polly and Pete. She didn’t quite manage to stifle her laughter at Alex’s terrible throw.

 

“Hey!” Alex exclaimed, bringing her hand to her chest in mock offense. “That was just a warm-up.”

 

“Right.” Piper said, as she prepared to take her turn. She bent slightly at the waist, eyes focused on the tiny hole in the platform ahead of her. She bit her lip in concentration, then flung her bag forward. It landed with a loud thud on the surface of the platform. “Yes!” The blonde squealed, jumping up and down slightly from her excitement. She looked at Alex with a proud smile lighting up her face. Alex watched her with amusement.

 

“Great shot, Piper!” Larry called from where he was watching on the sidelines.

 

Piper couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Thanks!”

 

The game continued on, and Piper was thoroughly entertained by just how awful Alex was at throwing bean bags. Alex had yet to score any points, but Polly was fairly good at the game, keeping the scores close. As they neared the end of the game, Piper’s competitive streak was really starting to show.

 

“Mother fucker!” Piper stomped in frustration as the bean bag she had just tossed hit the platform too hard and bounced off. Alex chuckled at her. Piper shot her a glare and said, “Like you could do better.”

 

This just made Alex laugh harder. “I should have guessed that you were super competitive.”

 

Piper traded in her glare for a grin and shrugged. She looked up at Alex through her lashes and said, “I like to win.”

 

Alex raised an eyebrow. She took her turn then turned to Piper and said, “How are you doing in psych? You didn’t come by all week.”

 

Before Alex could mask it, Piper saw a hint of vulnerability in her expression when she asked the question. Piper averted her eyes guiltily. “I’m doing well; and yeah, I was really busy this week.”

 

She didn’t know why she was feeling guilty exactly. There was no rule that said she had to go to Alex’s office hours. In fact, she had thought Alex would be happy to have a week free from her pestering. However, Alex had sounded disappointed.

 

Piper’s blue eyes found Alex’s green ones. Alex said softly, “I missed seeing you.”

 

Piper’s eyes widened at the admission and she swore her heart skipped a beat. “You did?” Piper mirrored Alex’s softer tone of voice.

 

Their moment was interrupted as one of Piper’s friends, Brook, came bounding over. “Hey! We should probably start heading into the stadium if we want to get seats before the game starts.”

 

All of Piper’s friends began packing in their stuff. Piper smiled shyly at Alex. “Are you going to the game? I’m working in one of the concessions booths. If you want to come by, I’ll give you a free funnel cake.” She bumped her shoulder playfully against Alex’s as she bent to grab a bean bag.

 

Sneaking a quick glance over her shoulder, Piper caught Alex checking out her ass. She smirked to herself before straightening up.

 

“Nah,” Alex replied, not even looking the least bit embarrassed for having been caught staring. “Tailgating is fun, but actually attending the game isn’t really my thing,” she said echoing Piper’s earlier statement.

 

Piper nodded awkwardly as Alex began to back away towards the direction she had come from.

 

“I’ll see you Monday.” The fact that Alex hadn’t phrased that as a question made Piper’s belly flip.


	4. Chapter 4

Larry straightened his bow tie and cleared his throat nervously. He had a shiny metal tray loaded with hors d’oeuvres precariously balanced on one hand. “What is this event for again?”

 

Piper shrugged in reply and said, “I think it’s some graduate student appreciation reception? Maybe for recipients of university fellowships or something?”

 

Piper really wasn’t a hundred percent sure herself. As a member of the Student Affairs Committee, she had had to sign up to work five events over the course of the semester and this had been one of them. She had not been pleased to discover that Larry was working the same event, and he had been attached to her hip since the event started thirty minutes ago. It wasn’t that she disliked Larry; no, she thought he was actually a pretty decent guy. It was the awareness that he had a huge crush on her paired with the fact that his feelings weren’t reciprocated that made her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious around him.

 

Piper surveyed the crowd, wondering briefly if Alex would be in attendance. She didn’t think so. The event was formal, and she couldn’t see her edgy TA coming to an event in which she’d have to wear a fancy dress. But boy how the mental image of Alex in a form-fitting dress made Piper swoon.

 

The venue was really beginning to fill up, and Piper noticed the refreshments table was looking slightly understaffed. Of course, most attendees _would_ be congregating at the free beer and wine table. Piper turned to Larry. “I think I’m going to go see if they need an extra hand,” she said, gesturing toward the refreshment table, “I’ll see you later, Larry.”

 

Piper was happy with the decision she had made to help out; the line at the refreshment table had grown in length as the two students in charge of pouring and handing out drinks fell behind. Piper quickly joined in and with the additional help they were able to move things along more efficiently.

 

Piper was in the midst of pouring a glass of white wine when the sound of a familiar husky chuckle forced her eyes to raise. Immediately they connected with bright green ones, shining with a hint of amusement. Alex was wearing her signature smirk, and Piper was momentarily stunned by just how amazing her TA looked.

 

She was in a tight V-neck black dress, that flared out slightly at the waist. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders in big loose curls, with streaks of blue swirling through them. Her makeup, as always, was flawless.

 

“Whoa there,” Alex said, reaching out for the wine bottle Piper was still currently pouring.

 

Piper finally blinked, breaking the spell, and realized that she had almost overfilled the glass of wine. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she stuttered out an embarrassed, “Oops.”

 

She met Alex’s eyes once again and smiled at her sheepishly. She extended her arm to the older girl and offered, “Wine?”

 

Alex laughed, but accepted the wine. She eyed the full-to-the-brim glass and looked at Piper suspiciously. With a raised eyebrow she said suggestively, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get me drunk.”

 

Piper blushed harder at Alex’s flirtation, but raised a mischievous eyebrow in response. “And what would you say if I was?” In truth, she wouldn’t mind spending time with a slightly intoxicated Alex. With lowered inhibitions, Piper was almost positive Alex would give in to her attraction to her. She still wasn’t quite sure what exactly was holding Alex back, but whatever it was needed to be taken care of. Piper was growing more and more impatient.

 

Alex looked intrigued by Piper’s response. She narrowed her eyes at the younger girl and bit her lower lip slightly. The action drew Piper’s eyes to Alex’s full lips and caused her tongue to dart out unknowingly to wet her own.

 

Piper watched as Alex’s lips curved into a wide smile. She blinked her eyes back up to Alex’s as Alex laughed softly. “Then I’d say you’re off to a good start,” she said, glancing at her glass of wine as she raised it slightly.  She took a large sip of the wine, then set the glass down on the table.

 

The amusement Piper had noticed when she first arrived returned to Alex’s eyes as she smiled playfully at the blonde. She shook her head slightly as she allowed her eyes to roam over Piper’s form, barely managing to hold in a chuckle. “What are you wearing, Jeeves?”

 

Until that moment, Piper had completely forgotten about the ridiculous server’s uniform she had been required to wear to the reception. She groaned softly and rolled her eyes, trying to mask the embarrassment she felt at Alex seeing her in the ugly, unflattering uniform. “I know; it’s hideous. They made us wear them.”

 

“You look cute,” Alex replied with a soft smile. Almost as an afterthought she added “kid,” to the end of the sentence, in an attempt to make the statement lighter; less meaningful. Piper ignored the attempt anyway. Instead, her insides were doing somersaults because Alex had just called her cute.

 

Piper smirked flirtatiously and said playfully, “So do you.” She let her gaze travel along Alex’s curves accentuated by the dress she was wearing.

 

Alex let Piper ogle her for a minute, basking in the younger girl’s appreciative gaze. Alex didn’t shy away from the attention; in fact, she was pleased that Piper had reacted in that way.

 

Piper was drawn out of her blatant staring when Alex began to lean forward across the table that separated them. Piper froze as Alex’s hand reached out and tugged at the plastic nametag that was attached to her shirt directly above her left breast. Piper’s breath hitched, completely aware of how close Alex’s hand was to her breast; how close Alex’s face was to her own as she leant across the table. The blonde felt a surge of heat rush to the apex of her thighs and she suddenly felt dizzy. Alex released the nametag so that it snapped back against Piper’s chest. Piper shivered as her stormy blue eyes met Alex’s clear green ones. She seemed amused by Piper’s reaction; in fact, she even rasped out a laugh.

 

Piper felt embarrassed about responding so obviously to Alex’s proximity, but Alex said in a teasing tone, “You never told me your real name was Viper.” She smirked. “Menacing.”

 

“Huh? Oh.” Piper shook her head slightly, then laughed. “Yeah I think whoever made the nametags was either high or thinks he’s a comedian.”

 

Alex laughed. “Maybe both?” 

 

“I’m surprised you’re here.” Piper said when they had finished giggling about the nametag.

 

“It should be me saying that about you. This _is_ a function for graduate students.” Alex laughed and took a step around the table, bringing her closer to Piper. “Free food. Free booze.” She gestured to the alcohol bottles lining the table then pointed to herself and finished, “Poor grad student. When free food is involved, I can be coerced into practically anything.”

 

Piper smirked coquettishly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Alex raised her eyebrow in response. She said, “You always seem surprised to see me away from my office. What, do you think I live in the psychology building?”

 

“Of course not!” Piper exclaimed with a small giggle. She took a small step back. “I just didn’t think tailgating and a fancy event were really _you_.”

 

Alex hummed, seeming to think about it. She leaned so that her shoulder rested against the wall and asked curiously, “So what do you think _is_ me?”

 

Piper stuttered, not sure exactly how to answer that question. “Um, well, I always just picture you spending your free time in cool dive bars or riding your motorcycle around town. You know, stuff girls like you do.”

 

Alex laughed loudly, “Girls like me?”

 

Piper blushed again. It was beginning to become the norm when Alex was around. She looked to the floor then met Alex’s eyes again. “I just mean, well, you’re kinda like this mysterious badass.”

 

Alex’s lips formed a slow smile. She took a step closer to Piper. “Badass, huh? Piper, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I don’t even own a motorcycle.”

 

As Piper was beginning to respond, Nicky appeared tugging at Alex’s arm. “Alex, there you are. Silvie is losing her shit looking for you.” She paused for a minute, turning her attention to the blonde standing awkwardly to the side. “Oh. Hi, Piper.”

 

“Hi, Nicky,” Piper replied with a small smile and wave, going back to the task of pouring wine that Alex had distracted her from.

 

Alex shot Piper an apologetic smile. “I should probably go mingle.” She rolled her eyes slightly. “It was really nice to see you here tonight, Pipes.”

 

Piper smiled sincerely. “You too. Getting to talk to you made working this event actually enjoyable.”

 

“Happy to be of service. See you Monday, Viper.” Alex said with a smirk as she turned to leave.

 

Nicky dragged Alex away and whispered loudly, “Silvie saw you with Piper and was grilling me about you two. She remembered that Piper is a student in Healy’s class. You better go do damage control. I tried to play it cool, but that Silvie is one suspicious bitch. I don’t want her to go spreading shit about you and an undergraduate.”

 

…

 

“Can I borrow some of that liquid eyeliner-“ Piper froze mid-sentence in the doorway to Polly’s bedroom. She brought a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. “Oh my god, what _are_ you?!”

 

Polly glanced toward Piper from her position in front of her vanity mirror, where she was currently adjusting the amount of cleavage visible behind the most hideously colored orange dress Piper had ever seen. “I’m a sexy prisoner.” At Piper’s skeptical look she continued, “What? It’s original. And what are you? The frumpiest black cat anyone’s ever seen on Halloween? Pipe, Halloween is the one night girls can dress slutty and no one can say a word about it.”

 

Piper looked down at her baggy black sweat pants and loose long-sleeved black t-shirt. She hated Halloween. As Polly alluded to, it was an excuse for slutty girls to act even sluttier; while nice, normal girls had a difficult time finding a costume that was modest, but still cute. Costumes on Halloween could either be slutty or clever – and Piper didn’t have time to be clever.

 

She shrugged. “You didn’t tell me we were going to this Halloween party until this morning. This was all I could throw together on such short notice.”

 

Polly rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know about it until last night. Come here.” Polly pulled her blonde friend over to her closet. “I have a black leotard you can wear. Ohhhh! We can make you cat ears and hot glue them to a headband. It’ll be soooo cute!”

 

Piper shook her head slightly, but let Polly play dress up. She had to admit, her roommate always knew just how to style her to make Piper look amazing.

 

“So which bar are we going to again?”

 

…

 

“The Woodshed?” Alex looked at Nicky skeptically as they approached the brightly lit club.

 

Nicky shrugged. “I heard they’re throwing a killer Halloween party. I thought we could check it out.”

 

As they approached the somewhat sketchy looking establishment, the sound of techno music grew louder. A group of drunk costumed co-eds stumbled out of the door laughing and talking loudly about the cheap drinks.

 

Alex shrugged and smiled widely at Nicky. She was sold at the mention of cheap drinks. “Let’s go!”

 

The club was decked out for Halloween; artificial cobwebs were strung up along the walls, doorways, and barstools, spooky specialty cocktails were advertised on the special Halloween menu, and black and orange lightbulbs tinted the club in an eerie glow. Alex and Nicky bee-lined directly for the bar and began to peruse the specialty drink menu.

 

“Have you ladies been helped?” A pretty female bartender dressed as a vampire asked the girls.

 

Nicky shot her a winning smile. She ran her finger down the list of drinks as she replied, “I will have the vampire’s kiss.” Her finger stopped on the drink’s name as she winked suggestively at the bartender.

 

The bartender leaned forward slightly across the bar toward Nicky and shot her a flirtatious smile back along with a nod. Then she turned her attention to Alex, “And for you?”

 

Alex shook her head amusedly at her friend’s antics as she replied, “I’ll try the zombie.”

 

“Coming right up!”

 

After receiving their drinks, the two set off to explore the rest of the club. The main bar area was set up with a few unoccupied tables, and a door off to the side led out to a rather large patio area. “This place is actually pretty cool.” Nicky said settling into one of the patio chairs. A small fire burned in an outdoor fireplace, keeping the chill from the night air manageable.

 

Alex joined her friend. She sipped her zombie cocktail. “Yeah, and actually reasonably priced.”

 

“So what happened with you and Silvie after the graduate student reception?” Nicky was curious.

 

Alex sighed and leaned back in her chair. “She was definitely suspicious of something going on between Piper and me. I tried to reassure her that Piper is my student and I was being friendly and saying hello. She then told me she could tell I was attracted to her and went all psycho-jealous-bitch on me, so I left.”

 

Nicky whistled her sympathy at Alex’s situation. “Do you think she’ll let up?”

 

Alex shook her head. “No. I told her long before I even knew Piper that it was over between us. Now I think she’s blaming all that on this made-up idea she has of me and Piper.”  


Nicky laughed incredulously, “Made-up?”

 

Alex shot her a look. She rolled her eyes and said, “Well, not entirely. But the situation Silvie created in her head is made-up. Nothing has happened between Piper and me.”

 

“But you want it to? And so does Piper?” Nicky probed.

 

“So fucking much,” Alex sighed in resignation. “And I think Piper does too. She’s kind of upped her flirting with me. It’s becoming more obvious, and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stop myself.”

 

“Well, you better be careful. Silvie is just crazy enough to do something drastic, like report you to the university or something,” Nicky said standing up. “Want another?” She asked gesturing to Alex’s empty glass.

 

Alex nodded and Nicky ran off to get them more alcohol.

 

…

 

Polly, Piper, Pete, and Larry (much to the annoyance of Piper) paused outside the exterior of The Woodshed.

 

Green and orange lights glowed from the windows and the thump of the bass could be heard coming from deep within the club.

 

“This is the place you wanted to go to?” Piper laughed. She could hardly see Polly at a club like this. Sketchy.

 

Polly shrugged, although she looked slightly disgusted. “I heard this was the Halloween party to be at. Let’s just check it out and if it’s sketchy we can go somewhere else.”

 

Pete grabbed Polly’s hand and the couple headed toward the entrance. Larry looked over at Piper with a sheepish, yet hopeful look. He shrugged and said, “It could be fun?”

 

Piper couldn’t stand his awkwardness. Maybe at some point in the past she would have found it charming, but not now. Not after experiencing how sexy Alex’s confidence was.

 

She faked a smile and said, “I think so!” and followed Pete and Polly without another glance at Larry. She was going to _kill_ Polly. Especially if her best friend ditched her for Pete and left her with Larry all night.

 

As the night drew on, Polly, Pete, and Larry grew exceedingly drunk, while Piper maintained a mild buzz. She wanted to be clear-headed if she felt like skipping out early if Polly abandoned her to Larry.

 

“I’d like a margarita, please,” Piper placed only her second drink order to the vampire bartender.

 

The vampire smirked at her, but left to make her drink.

 

“Isn’t it a little too cold for a margarita, Pipes?” A raspy voice (a voice now burned into her memory) whispered directly into her ear. Piper’s eyes met Alex’s through a veil of dark, thick lashes.

 

The bartender returned with the beverage and Alex motioned for her to put it on her tab.

 

Piper smiled her thanks. She took a sip as Alex took in her costume. The darker haired girl couldn’t contain her smile. “Fancy seeing you here. I didn’t think you knew how to have fun, Ms. Overachiever.”

 

Piper rolled her eyes, but laughed at Alex’s teasing. “Well, it _is_ Halloween.” She paused and blushed slightly. “And I do have fun, Alex. I’m not some academic recluse who just hermits away all day in my room studying.”

 

Alex chuckled at Piper’s insistency. “I’m just messing with you, Pipes.” She reached over and lightly touched the black furry ears attached to the blonde’s head. “A black cat? Very original.”

 

Piper rolled her eyes and smirked. “And what are you supposed to be?”

 

“Can’t you tell?” Alex stood from the barstool and gave a small spin.

 

Piper shook her head expectantly.

 

Alex laughed. “I don’t know. I’m like a skeleton or something. Nicky did my makeup. I’m not really into the whole costume thing.”

 

Piper nodded sympathetically. “Me either. Polly dressed me up in this.”

 

Alex nodded appreciatively. “She did a good job. You look good, kid.”

 

Piper blushed and smiled shyly. “Thanks. You do too.” In addition to Alex’s skeleton face paint, the older girl was adorned in tight black skinny jeans, a black tank top, and black combat boots.

 

Alex grinned and grabbed Piper’s hand. “You wanna dance?”

 

Piper nodded eagerly, and Alex yanked her off the barstool and toward the dance floor at the back of the club. She didn’t let go of her hand the entire way.

 

When they had weaved their way into the crowd, Alex pulled Piper in close and let her hands rest on Piper’s swaying hips.

 

Piper’s hands wrapped around the taller girl’s shoulders and they began to grind their hips together along to the beat.

 

They danced to an endless number of songs (Piper lost count), and with each new song, Piper felt Alex tug her closer, impossibly close, until their foreheads were pressed together. Alex’s gaze was intense, and Piper watched as her eyes flicked briefly to Piper’s slightly parted lips, which were only a breath away from Alex’s. Piper swore she could taste Alex’s breath – that’s how close they were. Alex’s fingers traced patterns up and down Piper’s sides along the silky fabric of the black leotard. Alex pressed her lips to Piper’s ear and husked, “So sexy.”

 

Alex’s long hair created a curtain around their faces, giving Piper a false sense of privacy, blocking out everyone around them. She wondered briefly how drunk Alex was. She watched Alex’s eyes dart to her lips again, and her mind practically screamed, _begged_ , for Alex to close the miniscule space between them.

 

Piper waited patiently for Alex to make a move. In Piper’s mind, she had made her intentions and desires clear to the older girl. It was Alex who was holding back for some reason, Alex who had a complicated relationship with someone else. It was Alex who needed to make the move. So while Piper refused to lean forward just the slightest bit to connect their mouths, she attempted to make her request as obvious as she could. She grinded just a bit harder onto Alex’s leg; touched the tip of her nose gently to Alex’s; rubbed her fingers lightly along the darker haired girl’s exposed neck, shoulders, and back. She held eye contact with Alex before purposefully, pointedly lowering her gaze to Alex’s red lips and then back up through her thick, dark lashes to meet stormy green eyes.

 

…But then something changed. The song switched, and Alex pulled away slightly, shaking her head. She released Piper’s hips and muttered something about needing another drink.

 

And just like that she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Clank. Whoooooosh._

 

Blinding light suddenly flooded Piper’s room, causing the blonde to squeeze her eyelids tighter together in an attempt to block out the morning sun’s unwelcome rays. Moments later, her bed dipped, the covers shifted, and she felt a cold, smooth leg press against hers.

 

“Rise and shine, Piper!” Polly sing-songed, rubbing her ice-block feet along Piper’s calf in an attempt to steal some of her best friend’s body heat.

 

Piper groaned and rolled away from her chipper friend, pulling her legs away from Polly’s icy feet and bringing them up toward her chest, effectively forming herself into a little ball of warmth.

 

Polly settled in comfortably and said with a chuckle, “What the hell happened last night?”

 

Piper’s eyes shot open as the events from the previous night came rushing back into her consciousness. She squinted immediately as the light from the now-uncurtained window (Thanks, Polly) shocked her corneas.

 

Piper groaned again and rolled over onto her back next to Polly. Debriefing after the drunk shenanigans of the previous night was something they did every morning following a night out. She put her arm over her eyes and managed to croak out, “How are you not hungover?”

 

Polly just laughed, “How are you? You had like three drinks, tops.”

 

Piper shrugged. She felt dehydrated and her head was pounding. “I don’t drink as often as you do, I guess.”

 

Polly pushed herself up into a sitting position and reached for something on Piper’s nightstand. “Here. Take some Advil and drink some water.”

 

Piper smiled gratefully at her best friend. “You are a goddess.” She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position against her headboard so she could swallow the pills.

 

“So let’s discuss. What happened last night? You disappeared for awhile and then the next thing I knew, you were dragging us out of there like the place was on fire.” Polly laughed softly, even though she wasn’t sure if it was a laughing matter.

 

Piper sighed, her eyes fluttered closed. “Alex was there.”

 

“What?!” Polly nearly screeched.

 

Piper cringed, covering her hangover-sensitive ears. “Owwwww.”

 

Polly smiled sheepishly and said in an exaggerated whisper, “Sorry.” Then continued at a more normal register, “I didn’t see her there. But why would that make you want to leave? Oh my god. Was she there with another girl? What a skank.”

 

Piper couldn’t help but laugh at Polly and how she just blurted out her entire stream of consciousness. “No, no. There wasn’t another girl.” Piper launched into the events of the previous night, detailing to Polly how Alex had bought her a drink and describing the hot dance the two had shared. “And just when I thought she was _finally_ going to kiss me, she left… Seriously, like _poof_ and she was gone. I don’t get it. I _know_ she’s into me, but for some reason she’s holding back and it’s driving me insane.”

 

Polly pondered for a minute, turning her body so that her back was against the bedroom wall and she was facing Piper. She had witnessed for herself how Alex had flirted and interacted with Piper at the tailgate, so she knew it wasn’t all just in her best friend’s head. Taking that and adding all the stories Piper had told her, she couldn’t figure out what would be holding Alex back. “Well, you said there was another girl and that Alex told you it was complicated with her. Do you think there’s something still there and that’s what is making her hesitant to go for it with you?” Polly questioned gently.

 

Piper sighed and shrugged. “Could be. Maybe it’s all in my mind, but I just don’t think so. I’ve heard Nicky talk about this girl, Silvie is her name, to Alex and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything between them anymore. And at the graduate student reception, Alex didn’t really seem like she wanted to go find her when Nicky said she was looking for her.”

 

Both girls were quiet for a moment, but then Polly sat up suddenly and Piper could almost see the lightbulb brighten above her head. “You know what? I kind of remember Allison DiSilvestro talking about one of her good friends, who I think was a Chemistry grad student, who started liking one of the research assistants in his lab. I vaguely remember her talking to him about it, and he told her the university didn’t allow grad students to date their students! Do you think that could be why you’re getting mixed signals from Alex? Maybe she likes you, but it’s against the rules to pursue anything with you!” Polly’s voice had risen excitedly at the prospect of finally solving the mystery that was Alex Vause.

 

Piper’s eyes widened as Polly’s words sunk in. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that. That must be it. It makes so much sense.” Piper was relieved to finally have a reason for Alex’s contradictory behavior. After the initial feelings of relief settled; however, she deflated. “So that means there’s literally nothing I can do. I don’t want to be the reason Alex gets in trouble with school; I know she’s worked really hard to get to where she is.”

 

Polly bumped her shoulder sympathetically against Pipers. “Yeah, Pipe. That really sucks,” She said supportively. “On the bright side, though, you’ll only be her student for about another month and a half. That really isn’t that long.”

 

It really wasn’t, Piper agreed. And the last few weeks of the semester were always busy anyway, filled with projects and final exams. The time would surely fly by. “You’re right, Pol. Maybe I should just back off until the semester ends and focus on schoolwork. Then I can figure out the whole Alex-thing when the semester is over.”

 

Polly smiled encouragingly. “I think that sounds like the best plan, Piper. Now whaddya say we go grab some brunch at Rolling Pin Café? Their pancakes will definitely cure your hangover, I promise.”

 

…

 

Surprisingly, Piper found that staying away from Alex was easier than she had thought it would be. It was already November, and the semester was winding down in the form of two final projects and four major final exams that Piper needed to prepare for. Not to mention the fact that Piper had a minor role in the fall production of _A Streetcar Named Desire_ , which would run the first week in December. Suffice it to say, with projects, studying for finals, and rehearsals, Piper was actually pretty busy and didn’t have much time to dwell on the whole Alex-situation, which she was honestly grateful for.

 

A week into November and rehearsals were really starting to pick up. After a particularly long rehearsal on a Friday night, Piper stumbled into the dark apartment she shared with Polly at around ten-thirty.

 

“Pol? You home?” She called as she flipped on the living room light.

 

No answer followed, so Piper assumed she was out with Pete – which really wasn’t unusual for a Friday night. Exhausted, Piper ambled into her room to change immediately into some sweat pants and a t-shirt. She washed the make-up and sweat that had accumulated throughout the rehearsal from her face and immediately felt better as the stress from the day seemed to wash away with it.

 

The blonde grabbed her laptop from her bag and returned to the living room, setting the computer on the coffee table. She hadn’t eaten much for dinner because of her busy schedule, so she fixed herself a snack of cheese and crackers before settling into the couch, queuing up a binge-worthy show on Netflix, and opening her laptop to check her emails.

 

Amidst the handful of emails from professors and threads about group projects, Piper’s eyes were drawn to one unopened email in particular.

 

______________________________________________________________________________

 

**From: Alex Vause (avause1@ul.edu)**

**To: Piper Chapman (pchapman3@ul.edu)**

**Subject: Checking in**

Hey Piper,

 

You didn’t come to any office hours this week, so I just wanted to send an email to make sure everything is okay.

 

  - Alex

______________________________________________________________________________

 

A slow smile crept up Piper’s face as she read the short email. She thought it was sweet that Alex noticed her absence and was reaching out to make sure everything was okay (or maybe also possibly because the older girl missed Piper this week).

 

Piper quickly pressed the reply option on her email and began typing out a response.

 

______________________________________________________________________________

 

**To: Alex Vause (avause1@ul.edu)**

**Subject: RE: Checking in**

Hi Alex :)

 

Thanks for checking in on me. Things were just hectic this week! It’s going to be a busy end of the semester for me. I probably won’t be able to come by office hours for a few weeks, but I do want to come in before the final to go over a few of the concepts with you.

 

~ Piper

______________________________________________________________________________

 

Piper set her open laptop on the coffee table in front of her (in case Alex decided to email back), and lay down across her couch to get sucked in to the TV show Riverdale. Every so often, her eyes flicked to the computer screen to check for a new email, until eventually, she fell asleep.

 

…

 

Over the next two weeks, Piper didn’t see or hear from Alex at all, except for a brief sighting at the library, where Piper was meeting up with Polly to study. She had sauntered in and headed toward the private study rooms in the back, when she happened to look to her right and find the dark green eyes of her psychology TA across the room. Alex was at a table with Nicky and some other girl, and the three appeared to be doing some studying of their own. Sometimes Piper forgot that Alex actually took classes too.

 

They held eye contact as Piper continued on her original path. Alex raised an eyebrow at her and a corner of her mouth lifted in a slight knowing smirk, and Piper began to feel flustered as color rushed to her cheeks. She had forgotten the effect the darker haired girl had on her. She lifted her hand in an awkward wave, which only made Alex’s smirk turn into a real, amused smile. She gave a slight nod in response.

 

Piper finally broke eye contact and turned back to face the direction her body was moving, nearly colliding with a boy bent over replacing books on the display shelves. She caught herself in the nick of time, but the boy turned to look at her with annoyance in his eyes, and reprimanded in a loud whisper, “Watch where you’re going.”

 

Blood had quickly flooded into Piper’s cheeks and she replied, “Sorry!” She chanced a glance back at Alex, and saw the older girl chuckling quietly to herself while shaking her head in amusement. Her eyes were trained on Piper.

 

Piper had quickly rushed away in her embarrassment.

 

It was now the first day of Thanksgiving Break, and Piper strolled the empty campus on her way to grab a coffee before hitting the library for some major studying. Polly had left the previous morning, deciding to forgo her classes that day to get a head start on her trip back home, so Piper figured she’d have zero distractions from schoolwork over the next few days.

 

Due to the deserted campus, she was able to walk straight up to the counter to order her coffee, a phenomenon that rarely happened during regular school hours. Piper couldn’t help smiling to herself as she waited on her sugary concoction, thinking to herself that maybe not going home for Thanksgiving really wouldn’t be that bad.

 

“Iced coffee in November?” That scratchy voice Piper would recognize anywhere spoke over her shoulder, causing Piper to immediately spin around. “Hey, Piper.”

 

“Alex.” Piper couldn’t help but smile at her presence. It seemed like forever since she’d talked to the darker haired girl. She really had been doing a good job at backing off.

 

“What are you doing here? Not going home for Thanksgiving?” Alex asked, stepping around Piper to place her order to the barista, who was waiting impatiently.

 

Piper seized her drink and followed the older girl. As Alex placed her order, Piper took a small sip of her cold drink and couldn’t help but bounce a little on the balls of her feet. Avoiding Alex had been easier than she had expected, and being so caught up in her school work had nearly made her forget what it felt like to be near her. Giddy happiness. Like she’d give up anything just to be able to stay in her presence a moment longer.

 

“My parents are vacationing in Tahiti or somewhere. It’s actually kind of rare for us to do the whole Thanksgiving dinner thing. I usually just stay on campus and try to get ahead on studying for finals.” Piper answered after Alex had finished placing her order.

 

Alex paid and took her coffee from the barista. The two of them began walking toward the exit. “What?! Are you serious? You mean you usually spend Thanksgiving alone?” Alex seemed surprised, almost aghast, at this idea.

 

The raven haired girl’s exaggerated response surprised and embarrassed Piper a little and she felt the beginning of an embarrassed flush painting her cheeks. She hadn’t expected Alex to think spending Thanksgiving alone was such a big deal and she almost felt defensive of her situation. She didn’t need Alex of all people pitying her.

 

“It’s not a big deal, Alex.” Piper said, somewhat forcefully. “Like I said, my family doesn’t usually celebrate Thanksgiving together.”

 

Alex was taken aback by Piper’s heated tone of voice. A small, amused half-smirk formed on her lips, causing Piper’s scowl to deepen further. “Geez. Keep your shirt on, Pipes.” Piper could almost hear the smile in Alex’s voice, and she tried very hard not to give in and smile back. “I was just surprised. My mom and I always do Thanksgiving together, and I couldn’t imagine not spending the holiday with her. We’re pretty much all each other has.”

 

As they exited the coffee shop, Piper felt the cool breeze blow her hair up away from her face and shoulders. Her hand immediately felt colder, grasping the icy cup in the cool Autumn air. She had to fight herself from letting her body drift closer to Alex’s (for warmth, duh.), but couldn’t stop herself from bumping their shoulders together softly.

 

“So are you going to go to her for Thanksgiving? Or does she come to you?” Piper asked, taking a small sip and shivering at the cold liquid. Alex seemed to move closer to her, and Piper wished more than anything that she’d wrap an arm around her shoulders. Of course, she didn’t.

 

“She actually lives here in Litchfield. When I got accepted to the program she moved with me. You know what? You should celebrate with us tomorrow!”

 

Piper’s eyes widened with pleasant surprise. “Really? I don’t want to impose.”

 

“Of course. You need to experience an actual Thanksgiving dinner. Nicky will be there and my mom’s best friend and her kids, so no imposition at all.”

 

Alex actually looked excited about the idea, but Piper was still hesitant. She cast her eyes down at her drink as she seemed to ponder the invitation. Alex definitely picked up on her reluctance.

 

She slowed her pace as they neared the psychology building. “I want you to come, Piper,” Alex said softly, earnestly. Piper’s downcast eyes slowly lifted until they met Alex’s. Piper smiled as their eyes met. This was exactly what she had been wanting all along; but she couldn’t help the nagging guilt that tugged at her, telling her that she was only risking Alex’s future as a PhD student.

 

But Alex’s eyes were so hopeful, and Piper wanted to say ‘yes’ so badly. She wasn’t strong enough do the right thing.

 

“So what should I bring to a Thanksgiving dinner?”


	6. Chapter 6

Piper stood poised on the slotted wooden walkway directly facing the front door to Alex’s mom’s apartment. She hated to admit that she was nervous to meet Alex’s mom, and while excited to spend Thanksgiving with Alex, she felt a bit overwhelmed at the significance that this day seemed to hold. It seemed as if this day would be critical in determining the direction of their relationship, and whether it would lead only to friendship or much more. At the very least, spending Thanksgiving with someone else’s family implied a more substantial relationship than simply that of TA and student.

 

She shifted the can of whipped cream in her right hand to the nook between her left arm and torso, while carefully balancing the store-bought pumpkin pie in her left hand. Her now free right hand dug through her purse until she grasped her phone to nervously check the time. Five til eleven. Alex had told her to arrive at eleven. _Is five minutes early_ too _early?_ She wondered to herself. She hesitated for a brief second before shaking her head determinedly. She hated that she was feeling so unsure of herself. She lifted her right hand to knock bravely at the door.

 

The door swung open to reveal a petite woman with dark brown hair and warm green eyes, similar to Alex’s. A welcoming smile adorned her face as she said, “You must be Piper.”

 

Piper took a step into the small apartment and nodded her head.

 

“I’m Alex’s mom, Diane. Alex told me that you weren’t able to go home for the holiday, but we hope you’ll make yourself right at home here with us.”

 

Piper was slightly surprised by the sympathy in her tone. “Thanks for having me! I brought a pumpkin pie,” she exclaimed, shoving the pie away from her body and toward Diane. Sometimes she was a little awkward when meeting new people, especially people like Alex’s mom. She really wanted her to like her. “It’s store-bought,” she said apologetically. “I tried to bake some cookies, but I burnt them. I’m not very good at cooking.”

 

Alex’s raspy chuckle filled the room as she entered through the kitchen and gave Piper a cheeky grin, “Really? Miss Overachiever doesn’t know how to bake? Hmmm, I don’t know. Store-bought usually doesn’t cut it in this household at Thanksgiving.”

 

“Oh, Al, quit.” Diane reprimanded Alex’s teasing. She turned her attention back to Piper and said with a wink, “I’m sure it’s real delicious. Thanks for bringing it, kid.”

 

Diane took the pie and can of whipped cream from the blonde and headed into the kitchen. Piper took another step into the apartment as Alex crossed the length of the living room/dining area to meet her.

 

“She knows I’m just messing with her,” Alex called into the kitchen to her mom, but her eyes remained locked on Piper’s. Her playful smirk turned into a genuine smile and she softened her voice to say, “I’m glad you made it, Pipes. Let me put your jacket in the bedroom.”

 

As Alex briefly left the room, Piper made her way over to Nicky who was seated at the table, already chowing on a heaping plate of food.

 

“Heya, Blondie,” she greeted around a full mouth of food, “Long time no see.”

 

Piper smiled amusedly. Nicky was certainly different, but Piper liked her. She took a seat at the table across from the auburn haired girl and asked playfully as she gestured to the full plate of food, “What’s the rush?”

 

“Nicky has to go win over her dream girl,” Diane explained walking over to stand beside Nicky with a fond smile on her face. She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and asked Nicky if she wanted seconds of anything before disappearing back into the small kitchen.

 

“Dream girl?” Piper asked curiously, while making a mental note of the easiness with which Diane spoke of Nicky’s sexual orientation. She wondered if Diane knew about Alex’s sexuality and if she did, if she was as cool about it as she was with Nicky’s. Piper assumed so, judging solely by the interactions she’d seen thus far; Diane Vause seemed to be an open-minded, caring, and proud parent – none of which were words Piper would use to characterize her own parents.

 

“Lorna Morello,” Alex answered as she reentered the room and took a seat at the table next to Piper. Piper noticed that as Alex sat down, she scooted her chair over just the tiniest bit closer to Piper’s, causing their thighs to brush. Her belly flipped at the slight contact, even though it was through two layers of jean fabric. Just being near Alex again was nearly making her lightheaded. With Alex this close, she could smell her unique scent. Citrusy. “She’s another grad student in the psychology program with us.”

 

“Yeah, and she just broke up with her boyfriend, so I’m going to go try to woo her at Friendsgiving.” Nicky finished, taking another bite of mashed potatoes. “Of course, I had to first make an appearance here, because I would never pass on Diane’s cooking,” She finished with a cheeky grin to the older brunette through the entryway into the small kitchen.

 

 Piper turned her body slightly to face Alex, “What’s Friendsgiving?”

 

“Most of the grad students in our department come from all over the US and can’t always make it home for Thanksgiving, so we put on a Friendsgiving here for everyone who’s stuck in Litchfield.”

 

Piper nodded her understanding.

 

Diane entered again carrying two big bowls, one filled with mashed potatoes and the other with green beans and carrots.

 

“Need any help, Mom?” Alex asked, already starting to get up.

 

“Everything is ready, I just need help getting it all set up on the table. Rhonda and the kids should be here any minute.” Piper began to stand too, planning to pitch in a bit, but Diane shook her head. “Uh uh. Sit back down, Piper. You’re our guest! We’ve got it covered.”

 

Piper did as she was told. Minutes later, the table was beautifully set and Diane’s best friend Rhonda and her two kids Peyton and Alec had arrived.

 

“I’m gonna jet before everyone starts eating.” Nicky said, gathering her things to leave. “Thank you so much for lunch, Diane. It was wonderful as always.”

 

Diane pulled Nicky into a hug. “Good luck with Lorna, Nick.”

 

“See you later, Nicky. Text me and let me know how it goes.” Alex said walking her friend to the door.

 

“Yeah, you do the same,” Nicky said suggestively, flitting her eyes toward Piper and watching her cheeks redden slightly. “Later, Blondie.” She said with a chuckle, ducking out before Alex could retaliate.

 

“Alright,” Diane said, ushering the two younger kids over to the table. “Let’s get you guys some food and then we’ll set you up on the coffee table.”

 

The little girl, Peyton, stomped her foot and folded her arms across her chest. She whined, “But why can’t we sit with the grown-ups?”

 

Diane began filling the kid’s plates, while Piper watched with amusement. Diane explained, “There aren’t enough chairs, hun. See, there are only four chairs and there are four adults.”

 

She handed Alec a plate, who obediently went and made himself comfortable on the floor by the coffee table. Peyton continued, “But we wanted to sit with Alex.” Her lower lip trembled.

 

“If you’re good, and eat your lunch at the coffee table without any more complainin’, maybe Alex and her friend Piper will play a game with you later.”

 

An instant smile replaced her frown. “Really, Alex?” She asked as she took her plate from Diane and turned her attention to the younger Vause. “Will you?”

 

“Sure thing, kid.” Alex replied with a smile. She gave the girl a pat on the head. “What was that game we played last time? Pets?”

 

Peyton laughed. She exclaimed, “Yes! Pets. But I don’t really play that anymore. I like to play Princesses now.”

 

“Okay. Well, go eat your dinner and when we’re all finished eating, Piper and I will play Princesses with you.”

 

Peyton grinned from ear to ear. “Yay! I’ll be sure to eat real fast!”

 

As Peyton settled herself across from her brother at the coffee table, Alex rolled her eyes at Piper. She chuckled and whispered quiet enough so that Peyton couldn’t hear, “Kids are so weird.”

 

Piper laughed and bumped her shoulder against Alex’s. “You’re good with her though. I can’t wait to see you play a game called Princesses.”

 

“Trust me. It can’t be any weirder than Pets. She went through a phase where she really wanted to be a dog, and would just following me on her hands and knees everywhere. She would pretend to pant, and wanted to eat and drink out of bowls on the ground. She’s a unique kid.”

 

Piper covered her mouth to quiet her giggle. “I actually think that’s pretty normal for kids. When my brother was about her age he had an alter-ego named Kyle who was from California and loved to surf. Kyle had a pet dolphin and only ate what Cal (that’s my brother’s actual name) considered to be California food.”

 

“Wow. Yeah, kids are fuckin weird.” Alex said with a chuckle.

 

“What are you too giggling about?” Diane asked as she and Rhonda joined them at the table. Diane passed a plate each to Piper and Alex and the four of them began to pile food onto their plates.

 

“Just about how weird kids are,” Alex replied. “No offense,” she said to Rhonda.

 

Rhonda laughed, “Oh trust me, I know. I live with it.”

 

“Did Alex do anything weird when she was little?” Piper chimed in.

 

Alex shot Piper a disbelieving look. “Hey!”

 

Piper’s grin was mischievous. “What?” She replied with mock innocence. “I’m curious about what you were like as a kid.”

 

Diane smiled warmly at their interaction. “Alex was pretty normal, actually. She was mostly a quiet kid, liked to read a lot. You did go through this phase, though, where you quacked like a duck all the time,” Diane recalled with a fond laugh.

 

“What?!” Alex asked incredulously. “Are you serious?” She couldn’t help but join in with the other’s laughter.

 

“Yeah, you did. You would quack when you greeted me, said goodbye or goodnight, and when you told me you loved me. It was cute. You were probably four or five.”

 

“Why did you keep me?” Alex laughed jokingly. “I would have thought I was defective or something.”

 

Diane softened. “Because you were mine and I loved you. I thought it was sweet.”

 

Piper watched their interaction and felt her heart melt. She had never seen this softer side to Alex, and it was nice to see where Alex had come from. It was only making her fondness for Alex double. Her own family wasn’t very warm and loving, at least not in such a direct way, and it made Piper feel good to be a part of this kind of family environment for a holiday that was supposed to be all about family and thanks.

 

…

 

The rest of the day was full of board games, card games, and a small game of Princess, in which Piper was the princess (“Because she has long blonde hair, is pretty like a princess and is girly” Peyton had said. Alex agreed with her on the pretty part). Alex was the black knight who had kidnapped her (“Because Alex only wears black and is _gothic_ ,” was Peyton’s logic). Alec was the prince who was on a quest to save princess Piper, and Peyton was a magical fairy who was guiding Alec on his quest.

 

Later, after Rhonda and the kids had left, Piper and Alex both agreed (begrudgingly on Alex’s part) that the game of make-believe was actually the highlight of the day.

 

Piper glanced at the time on her phone. 6:15. Now that Rhonda had left, it was only the three of them, and Piper didn’t want to overstay her welcome.

 

“I guess I should be heading home. Thank you so much for having me over today. The food was amazing.” Piper said when their current game of scrabble ended. Alex had won for the third time, and Piper was getting tired of losing.

 

“Oh, so soon?” Diane asked. “You are more than welcome to stay and watch a movie with us. It’s tradition.”

 

Piper smiled, relieved and happy that she wasn’t crashing family time and was being invited to stay longer. To be honest, after a day full of family and togetherness, she didn’t really want to go back to her lonely apartment. “What movie?”

 

Alex snorted and Diane rolled her eyes. Alex said, “Well, you see, mom is one of those Christmas-crazies who believe the second Thanksgiving is over it is acceptable to begin decking your halls. So we always end Thanksgiving with a Christmas movie.”

 

Piper laughed. “Don’t worry, Diane. I’m the same way. Christmas-crazy, here, as well,” She said raising her hand.

 

“See!” Diane said to Alex. “It’s completely normal. Anyway, I’m gonna run the leftovers over to the homeless shelter a few blocks down. I should only be about fifteen minutes. While I’m gone, you girls pick out a movie.”

 

“Okay. Are you sure you don’t want us to help?” Alex asked, standing up with her mother.

 

“Nah, I think I’m good. I won’t be long. Pick out a good one.” Diane grabbed the leftovers she had already packed up and threw them into a large tote bag, then headed out the door.

 

Piper’s stomach flipped nervously now that she was alone with Alex. There had been mild flirtation between them all day, but it had been tampered by the presence of other people. Now that they were left to their own devices, Piper hoped she had enough self-control to keep her from doing something stupid. _Alex can’t date students,_ she mentally reminded herself. She just had to keep that thought in her head.

 

“So where do you keep the movies?” she asked, heading into the living room.

 

Alex followed her and knelt down in front of the cabinet underneath the TV. “In here,” she said, opening up the cabinet doors. “And here are all the Christmas movies,” she said, gesturing to an entire shelf.

 

Piper laughed, “Wow, you weren’t kidding. That’s a lot of Christmas movies.”

 

“Have at it,” Alex said. “You can pick. This time.”

 

Piper raised her eyebrow, but didn’t question the pretty clear implication that there would, in fact, be a next time. Instead, she knelt beside Alex and began to rummage through the films.

 

After a few minutes of pondering, Piper sighed and announced, “I have made my decision.” She paused for dramatic effect, and then pulled _The Santa Clause_ dramatically from the shelf and held it up in front of Alex’s face.

 

Alex’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “Really?” She questioned sardonically. “That’s one of mom’s favorites, too. I’m more of an _It’s a Wonderful Life_ gal.”

 

“Wow, say ‘gal’ again,” Piper teased, standing and placing the chosen movie onto the coffee table. “Well, that took all of five minutes. Why don’t we start some of the dishes for your mom while we wait for her to return?” Piper really did want to contribute in some way to express her thanks to Diane for the amazing food, and also, she wanted something to keep herself busy and distract herself from her intrusive thoughts of all the things she wanted to do to Alex. Oh, how that list was growing.

 

Alex smiled, looking somewhat impressed at Piper’s thoughtfulness. “That’s a great idea, Pipes. You wash and I’ll dry?”

 

Piper smiled in return and nodded. “Sounds good!”

 

Alex used her phone to play some music, and the two began to do the dishes. Piper filled the sink with warm soapy water and adorned Diane’s oversized yellow rubber gloves. As they washed, Piper began to dance more and more to the music, causing Alex to chuckle softly with amusement at her moves.

 

Just as she handed a newly clean plate to Alex for drying, a song she instantly recognized began to play through the phone’s speakers. Her eyes, locked with Alex’s, opened wide in excitement as a huge grin grew across her face. She couldn’t help herself as she began to sing along excitedly to the lyrics, “I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah.”

 

Alex blinked at the display, but couldn’t hide her amusement, and a smirk and chuckle got out. “Wow.” She stated bobbing her head. “Please, don’t quit your day job.”

 

“Hey!” Piper said, offended. She flicked a handful of bubbles toward Alex’s face and watched with a giddy wide-eyed expression as they landed and popped against Alex’s nose and cheeks. Alex lifted the towel she was using to dry dishes to her face and removed the suds.

 

Alex couldn’t even think of a comeback, as she was so mesmerized by Piper in that moment. The look of pure child-like joy, her eyes sparkling with an adorable lopsided grin adorning her face. Her nose scrunched up as she let out giggle at Alex’s expense and turned back to the sink, continuing to hum along to _Wannabe._

 

Before she could turn her body fully back to the sink, Alex grabbed her arm softly, but firmly, and spun her back around. In that moment, desire had fully taken over, and she took a step closer to the blonde, almost eliminating the distance between them completely.

 

As Piper felt Alex tugging gently at her arm, she spun back toward the brunette and quickly inhaled through her nose at Alex’s proximity. She had closed the gap between them, one hand still grasping her arm lightly, the other rising up to tug gently an on errant curl that had broken free from the haphazard messy bun she had thrown her hair into before they started the dishes.

 

Alex’s eyes were so dark as they met Piper’s and watched as Piper’s own pupils expanded. Alex tucked the errant curl behind Piper’s ear and trailed her fingers along the blonde’s soft cheek, down her jawline, finally to rest beneath her chin.

 

Piper knew her breathing must be erratic, but she could barely think straight. She couldn’t believe this was actually _finally_ happening. Alex tilted her chin up slightly, her eyes darted down to Piper’s slightly parted lips.

 

In the huskiest voice Piper had ever heard, Alex whispered, “I _really_ wanna kiss you.”

 

A jolt of arousal shot straight through Piper, warmth settling low in her belly, as her heart really and truly skipped a beat. She blinked slowly, deliberately, and looked up at Alex through thick lashes. “Why don’t you?” She whispered back in her own husky tone. She really didn’t want to beg, but _dear god, please, Alex_.

 

Alex inhaled through her nose. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and Piper’s followed suit. Alex tugged gently at Piper’s chin finally pressing their lips together softly.

 

Piper exhaled shakily through her nose, increasing the pressure between their mouths, and pressing her body closer to Alex’s. She really wished she wasn’t wearing these ridiculous rubber gloves, as she wanted more than anything to tangle her fingers into Alex’s long dark tresses.

 

The hand that was grasping Piper’s arm released the limb and found Piper’s waist instead. Her other hand traced patterns along Piper’s cheek and neck, before settling on the back of Piper’s neck to hold her firmly in place.

 

Just as Alex was opening her mouth to deepen the kiss, the faint sound of keys jingling outside alerted the two girls to Diane’s return. Even still, Alex had a hard time removing her lips from Piper’s. As the key turned in the lock, Alex had to physically place both her hands on Piper’s waist, and gently push the girl away from her, effectively breaking their lip lock. Piper hummed in protest at the loss of contact, causing a smug, amused smile to appear on Alex’s face.

 

Piper’s eyes finally fluttered open and met Alex’s, as Diane entered the apartment announcing, “I’m back!”

 

“In here,” Alex called, never breaking eye contact. Piper smiled shyly at her, then averted her eyes back to the dishes. “We were just starting the dishes,” she said as Diane appeared in the entryway of the kitchen.

 

“That’s very sweet of you girls, but I can get those later. Now what movie did you decide on?”

 

“ _The Santa Clause_ ,” Alex replied. “I let Piper pick.”

 

“Great choice, Piper. One of my favorites! Why don’t we eat some of your pumpkin pie while we watch?” She retrieved the pie from the refrigerator, cut them each a slice, and then ushered them both into the living room.

 

Piper took a seat in the armchair, settling her piece of pie onto the coffee table. Alex put the movie into the DVD player and settled into one corner of the couch. She glanced at Piper settled in the armchair and smiled as she watched the younger girl lift her hand to touch her lips lightly.

 

“You want a blanket, Pipes?” She asked, reaching behind her to grab one to drape over her and her mom.

 

“Sure, thanks,” Piper replied, smiling at Alex as she tossed her a blanket.

 

As she settled in to watch the movie, Piper couldn’t help replaying the kiss she and Alex had just shared over and over in her head. Questions like “ _What does this mean?” “Will it happen again?”_ and more importantly, _“Should it happen again?”_ began to swim in her head, but she quickly pushed them aside as the movie began. She’d overthink later. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the rest of her Thanksgiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would love to hear what you guys are thinking so far!


	7. Chapter 7

“Soooo…. Piper seems sweet.” Diane sing-songed from where she stood behind the couch peering down at her daughter, who was swaddled in blankets and sprawled across the length of the couch with her eyes glued to her phone.

 

A knowing, lopsided smirk lifted Alex’s left cheek, and she blinked slowly before directing her gaze to focus on the curious face of her meddling mother. “Mmmhmm,” she replied affirmatively, but gave up little else.

 

Diane circled the couch and lifted the younger girl’s legs so that she could steal the seat underneath. Once Alex’s legs had settled back onto her mom’s lap, Diane patted her shins affectionately and said, “So what’s going on there? You know she likes you, right?”

 

Alex sighed and set her phone aside. She had wanted to see how things had gone for Nicky and Lorna, but her best friend wasn’t answering her texts anyway. She’d just text her again in the morning. She cleared her throat, met Diane’s eyes, and admitted, “We kissed.”

 

Diane easily picked up on Alex’s ambivalent tone. “But you’re not happy about it?”

 

 “No, it’s not that.” Alex sighed and shifted, pulling her legs up under her to sit cross-legged. “I actually like her a lot.”

 

“So then what’s the problem, babe? I like this one!” Diane said with a laugh. She lowered her voice to an overly-exaggerated whisper and continued, “Huge step up from Silvia.”

 

The younger Vause rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her mom’s comment about Silvia, but chose to ignore it. “Piper’s an undergrad, and the university has rules against _fraternization_ between graduate students and undergraduates, if you know what I mean.”

 

Alex watched as her mom’s nose scrunched up in confusion. “That seems kind of extreme. I mean, you’re both students and both adults. I don’t see why a rule like that is necessary.”

 

Alex sighed. “I looked into it a bit. I guess because graduate students TA, lead research labs, and eventually teach their own courses, it creates a power differential. I think they are trying to protect students from being taken advantage of, or trading certain favors for grades. I can see where they’re coming from, I guess.” Alex picked at a loose thread on the blanket resting on her lap. “I just don’t know how to tell Piper. I’ve tried so hard to keep things platonic between us, but when we kissed, I could tell that Piper had been wanting it for as long as I have.” She sighed resignedly. “But it can’t happen again.”

 

Diane took a sip of her hot chocolate and stretched her legs out along the couch, nudging Alex’s leg with her toes. She smiled encouragingly at her daughter and said, “I’m sure if she likes you as much as I think she does, she’ll understand, Al. The end of the semester is only a few weeks away.”

“I know,” Alex nodded in agreement. “The thing is, the rules state that graduate students can’t date undergraduate students. Period. Technically, it doesn’t matter if she’s my student or not. All that matters is that she is still an undergraduate and I’m a grad student.” Alex chuckled to herself, “It’s like a weird academic version of Romeo and Juliet.”

 

Diane chuckled too, but replied sympathetically, “That’s tough, kid. Well, maybe it won’t be such a big deal when she’s not in your class anymore. I mean, if the rule is in place to protect students from being taken advantage of, if she is no longer your student, the rule serves no purpose.”

 

Alex sighed, “I’ve thought about that, too. I think it would be easier to appeal against the rule if she’s no longer my student, and since it’s her last semester there’s no chance of her being my student again. I’m just worried about losing my spot in the program.”

 

“I think the best thing to do, is to talk to Piper about it. See where her head is at. If today was any indication, I think she’ll understand. If she is okay with waiting until she graduates, then all of this worrying is for nothing.”

 

Alex managed a half-smile, and Diane could see how much she was truly struggling with this. “You’re probably right.”

 

…

 

By the time Monday rolled around, Alex had convinced herself that things may actually work out between her and Piper. Her mom was right; Piper had never seemed to be impatient with Alex’s affections. Quite the opposite, actually.

 

Alex felt optimistic that Piper would at least be willing to wait until the end of the semester… and after that; Alex wasn’t sure she herself was willing to postpone things any longer. At that point, it seemed like it could be worth the risk, as Piper would be graduating in the Spring and would have no chance to be in another class that she might TA for. Hell, she wasn’t even a psychology major!

 

She knew Silvia was suspicious, as she had been keeping a watchful, curious eye on Alex the last few weeks, always appearing in the offices around the time Alex’s office hours were held. Luckily, due to the never-mentioned near-kiss at Halloween, Piper had been avoiding office hours. Even still, she had decided it would be best if she and Piper discussed all of this off-campus, away from prying ears.

 

“Hey,” Piper’s voice sounded tentative.

 

Alex swiveled her chair around to see the blonde leaning against the doorframe of her office. Her stance matched her voice as she side-hugged the doorway, her left arm crossing over the front of her body, fingers grasping the wooden frame. Only her left leg was visible, as she stood half-in and half-out of the room, making her appearance in Alex’s office seem shrouded in uncertainty.

 

They hadn’t had a chance to discuss the kiss they had shared on Thanksgiving, so Alex could understand why she was hesitant. Regardless, Alex couldn’t help the amused smirk that pulled at her cheeks in response to Piper’s timid awkwardness. “Well, hey.”

 

Piper shivered at the raspy sound of Alex’s voice, and Alex noticed. Her eyes darkened in response. How was she going to resist this girl for another three weeks ( _at least!_ )? A rosy blush crept into Piper’s tanned cheeks when she noticed the look Alex was giving her.

 

Piper’s shy smile turned coy, as Alex’s reaction gave her the confidence boost she needed to fully enter into the room.

 

“I was hoping you’d come by today.” Alex continued.

 

Piper’s face registered slight surprise. “You were?” she asked as she took a seat at an empty desk chair next to Alex.

 

“Mmhmm,” Alex nodded straight-faced. She turned away from Piper to reach into one of her desk drawers. She turned back around with a cheeky grin and teasing glint in her eyes. “You left your pie server at my mom’s and I figured you must really need it back.”

 

Piper rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help smiling at Alex’s playfulness. Piper hadn’t really known what to expect from Alex since they hadn’t been able to talk about the intimate moment they had shared.

 

She snatched the pie server from Alex with a giggle. She joked, “That’s the entire reason I came by. I have so many pies and no way to serve them.”

 

Now it was Alex’s turn to roll her eyes good-naturedly. “But really,” she said with a softer tone, “I was hoping you’d come by because I wanted to ask you if you’d like to go for coffee this week.”

 

Piper’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Oh.” Was Alex asking her on a date?

 

“Oh?” Alex chuckled quietly in amusement. “Not quite the response I was hoping for.”

 

The blonde shook her head, lips turning up in a slight smile, “No, I mean, of course! Coffee would be great.”

 

Piper still couldn’t get over how flustered the raven-haired girl made her. And how Alex _always_ kept her cool around Piper. She’d hopefully change that soon.

 

“How about tomorrow?” When Piper nodded, Alex smiled and held out her hand. “Phone, please.” Piper handed her phone over without any questions, but her facial expression was curious. “I realized we’ve never exchanged numbers and I want you to have mine.” As she entered her contact info into the younger girl’s phone, she continued, “Text me your address and I’ll come pick you up tomorrow around 5? I was thinking we could maybe go somewhere off-campus.”

 

Alex thought it would be safer to talk away from campus, with Silvie creeping around, acting all suspicious. She didn’t want to have to worry about addressing any of those suspicions or dealing with any potential consequences until she and Piper discussed what was going on between them.

 

Piper smiled shyly as she took her phone back from Alex. “It’s a date.”

 

…

 

“Hey, boo!” Polly called to her roommate as she entered their shared apartment. “I’m back!”

 

“Polly!” Piper appeared in the doorway of her bedroom looking like a hot mess. “Thank god you’re home.”

 

Polly gave her roommate a once over and couldn’t contain her snort of amused laughter. “What happened to you?”

 

“Alex asked me on a date, and I’m freaking out! I don’t know what to wear or how I should do my hair. Please help!!” Piper was obviously frazzled, as she grabbed Polly’s hand and tugged her into her room.

 

“Wait. Back up a second. Alex asked you on a date?! Fill me in on everything that’s happened since you kissed on Thanksgiving!” Polly made herself comfortable on Piper’s bed as Piper returned to her closet, which was in disarray.

 

Piper smiled wide, her anxiousness momentarily disappearing. “Well, that’s basically it. She kissed me on Thanksgiving and when I went to her office yesterday, she asked me out for coffee tonight! She’s picking me up and everything.” Piper paused, her smile drooping slightly. “In one hour. Will you help me pick out an outfit?”

 

“Duh.” Polly said playfully with a smile, jumping off the bed and nudging past Piper into her closet. “Okay, let’s see.” She began rummaging through Piper’s closet. “It’s coffee, so we need casual yet cute but still with a dash of sexy.”

 

As Polly began to pull potential garments from Piper’s closet, she continued fishing for information. “So tell me more about the kiss. How did it happen and what was Alex’s reaction to it?”

 

Piper sat herself down in front of her vanity to begin applying some make-up. Through the mirror her eyes met Polly’s and she smiled. “We were just doing dishes in the kitchen and goofing around while we listened to music. I don’t really know how it happened; she just grabbed me and kissed me. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it because her mom came home.”

 

“And now you’re going on a date! This has been such a long time in the making. I’m happy that Alex finally grew some balls. So, do you think we were wrong about their being a rule against dating students? Here, try this on.” Polly tossed a few garments over to Piper, disrupting the mascara applying process.

 

“Hey!” Piper squealed with a giggle, as the fabric landed draped across her head and lap. She set her tube of mascara aside and yanked the knit top from her head, checking quickly in the mirror to make sure her face still looked okay.

 

Polly just giggled and shrugged. “Oops.”

 

As Piper shimmied into a pair of tight black skinny jeans in front of her full length mirror, she replied, “I don’t know.” She paused as she pulled a cropped, chunky maroon sweater over her head. It showed the barest amount of her midriff, just enough to give a little peak of skin. “Maybe there isn’t a rule, or maybe she decided that since the semester is almost over she doesn’t care about that stupid rule.” _Maybe she’s decided I’m worth the risk._ She eyed herself in the mirror, before turning to show Polly. “What do you think?”

 

“Damn.” Polly said in a complimentary way. “You look hot, but not in an overly obvious way. Very subtle. I love it.” She bent down to rummage through Piper’s shoes, and tossed two black ankle boots toward her roommate. “Try these.” She paused as Piper zipped the booties up over feet and ankles. They had a small heel that gave them a slightly edgy look. “Tres magnifique!” Polly exclaimed in an overly exaggerated French accent. Piper giggled at her friend’s antics and spun, showing off the entire outfit.

 

“You think she’ll like it?” Piper asked, almost vulnerably. Sometimes Polly was surprised at just how vulnerable and innocent her best friend could be.

 

Polly smirked and said, “She’d be blind and an idiot if she doesn’t. It’s obvious she’s into you. Just continue to be yourself.”

 

Piper smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Polly. Deep down I know she does like me. I guess I’m still just kind of confused by all the back and forth. It seems like every time we take a step forward in this thing between us becoming something more, we take two steps back. Like, it finally seems like we’re advancing toward a relationship, but I’m just scared that something’s going to happen to ruin it. I know it’s stupid, but I’m so ready for this to be _more_. I’m tired of feeling so confused and unsure all the time.”

 

“It has been a long, confusing semester to say the least. But you kissed! And you’re going on a date. That’s got to count for something. It seems like things are finally working out.” Polly reached out to pet Piper’s hair comfortingly.

 

“Thanks, Pol. I know you’re right.”

 

“That’s ‘cuz I’m always right.” Polly teased, which earned her a playful punch to the shoulder and a giggle. “Now let’s put some curls in this hair and you’ll be all set!”

 

…

 

“So, where are you taking me?” Piper asked as she settled into the passenger seat, in an effort to combat the slightly awkward silence that had blanketed the atmosphere after they had exchanged greetings when Alex picked her up.

 

The brunette glanced over to Piper out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t help taking a moment to appreciate how beautiful the blonde girl looked. The corner of her mouth raised in a slight smile and she said, “I bet you’ve never heard of it. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop my mom and I found when we moved here. My mom loves quaint coffee shops, and it’s kinda our spot.” She paused and turned her attention away from the road to focus more fully on Piper. “I think you’ll like it.”

 

“Well, if it comes recommended by Diane Vause, I’m sure I will.” Piper smiled. “I liked your mom,” she added softly, averting her gaze to her window to avoid eye contact.

 

Alex smiled, choosing to ignore Piper’s nervousness. “She liked you too, Pipes.”

 

They pulled up to a small brick building with a simple sign hanging out front “ _The Coffee Peddlar_ ”. Alex was right, the exterior really wasn’t much to look at. But there was a large picture window in the front, and peaking inside told a whole different story.

 

Alex held the door for her, and as they walked up to the counter to place their orders, Piper took in the atmosphere. It was cute, with the right amount of hip. The exposed brick walls on both sides of the large square room gave the shop a modern, rough feel; while the warm brown and green tones painted on the back and front walls made Piper feel welcome and at home. Behind the counter was a huge chalkboard detailing the many coffee and tea drinks offered; and below the counter was a long display case filled with pastries, sandwiches, and quiches.

 

Alex elbowed her gently and said, “They have the best quiches. Are you hungry? We could split one.”

 

Piper nodded and smiled, “They look amazing. Which is your favorite?”

 

“I really like the asparagus one, but the one with sun-dried tomatoes is great too.” Alex replied.

 

They neared the counter. Piper replied, “Mmmm. I love asparagus. Let’s try that one.”

 

Alex approached the barista with Piper close behind. “We’ll have an asparagus quiche to share, I’d like a cup of your house roast, please.” She turned to Piper and placed her hand on the small of her back, “What would you like to drink, Pipes?”

 

Piper took a step forward blushing at the contact, “Can I please have an iced caramel latte?”

 

The barista smiled at them, and Piper wondered if she knew that they were more than just friends. “Comes to fifteen dollars and twenty-seven cents.”

 

“Oh,” Piper stuttered, “Can we split that in half?”

 

Alex handed the barista her card, “Let me get it, Piper. I invited you for coffee; I’ll pay.”

 

“Are you sure? My drink cost double what yours did.” Piper always found it so awkward to have this conversation while on a date.

 

“My treat,” she said, grabbing the number from the counter that indicated their order number. She gently took Piper’s hand in hers and said, “Let’s go sit. My favorite table just opened up.”

 

The table Alex led her to was in the back corner, nestled up against the brick wall. Before dropping her hand, Alex rubbed her thumb softly against the edge of Piper’s and then across the palm of her hand. Piper felt her stomach flip at the sweet gesture and hoped that Alex would hold her hand again later that night.

 

As they sat, Piper questioned, “Why is this your favorite table?”

 

Alex smiled secretively. She turned to the brick wall and began to run her fingers along the crevices. She pulled a tiny, rolled piece of paper from one of the small holes in between the bricks. “Because people leave notes in the wall; confessions, encouragement, sometimes love letters. I like to read them while I drink my coffee.”

 

Piper’s smiled widened. She couldn’t believe Alex was sharing such a special, secret place with her. “What does it say?”

 

Alex unrolled the scrap. “It says, ‘You are enough.’” Alex rolled it back up, “Lame.”

 

Piper laughed. She turned to the wall to find another. “This one says, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate you more.’” Piper met Alex’s eyes and gave a small frown, “Sad.”

 

She returned it and pulled another.

 

“’I can forgive you, but I won’t forget what you did.’ I wonder what he did?” Piper asked, returning the paper to its hiding place.

 

Alex shrugged, “That’s kinda the fun. They can be about anyone; anything. Big or small. We have no idea.”

 

The waitress appeared with their food and drinks, and as they ate their quiche, they continued to read through the little notes.

 

“Here’s a good one. Piper, are you sure you’ve never been here before? ‘I have a crush on my hot TA.’” Alex said with a smug smile as she turned the scrap of paper around so Piper could read the words. Piper nearly choked on her last bite of quiche at Alex’s bluntness. She felt her cheeks grow hot. She averted her eyes from Alex’s and took a quick sip of coffee. This was her in. It was time to summon the tiny amount of courage she had within her and end the uncertainty of her relationship status with Alex.

 

“Alex, what is this?” She set the mug down and gestured between the two of them. “What are we doing? You flirt with me, and I think you like me, but then you leave me alone on a dance floor right as we’re about to kiss. Then we don’t see each other for weeks and when we do, you kiss me in your mom’s kitchen. I guess I’m just confused about where we stand.” She brought her coffee mug up to her mouth again, but this time not to sip it, just using it to hide part of her face from Alex. It was a gesture of insecurity for steering the conversation into a more serious direction.

 

Alex sighed. This conversation was the whole reason for going to get coffee. To determine where Piper’s head was at, and she had laid it all out for her. “I like you a lot, Piper. More than I should. I didn’t mean to give you mixed signals, and I’m so sorry I left you on the dance floor on Halloween.” She took a deep breath. “The U of L has a rule against grad students dating undergrads, so I’ve been struggling with the feelings I have for you, and trying not to break the rule.”

 

There. It was all finally out in the open. Alex watched Piper’s face register joy at the admittance of her reciprocated feelings, followed by surprise and confusion at the revelation of the rule, which finally settled into anger. _Shit._

 

Piper’s mind was racing a mile a minute. So there was a rule; Polly was right. But she had thought, had hoped, that if there was a rule, Alex would say “To hell with it. I want to be with you and I don’t want to wait a minute longer.” But Alex didn’t say that. Instead, she said that she was torn between her feelings for Piper and trying to follow the rule. So, this wasn’t a date.

 

Piper’s eyebrows furrowed and she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. “So, you’re saying you can’t be with me until I graduate? We can’t be together for nearly six months?! Alex, when were you going to tell me this? Were you just going to keep stringing me along until May? Keep me confused and vulnerable so I’d wait around pining for you?” All of the confusion Piper had been struggling with for the past few months was being released. She had known this was a possibility, but she couldn’t help feeling so disappointed that her fears were confirmed, and that they would not be moving forward after tonight’s date like Piper had hoped.

 

Alex was taken aback by Piper’s outburst. This was not at all how she had expected the night to go. She hadn’t realized that Piper had been feeling this way; that she had strung her along, led her on. “Piper, no – It’s not like that…”

 

“Alex? Hey!” The two were interrupted by a voice calling from the line at the counter. Piper quickly wiped away the few tears that had slipped out and took a gulp of her drink. Alex shifted her eyes away from Piper to find the voice calling her. She rolled her eyes when they landed on the culprit.

 

“Shit,” she murmured under her breath. As the individual approached their table, Alex raised her voice to a normal register and greeted, “Silvie. Hey.” She shot Piper an apologetic look. Could Silvie’s timing be any better?

 

“I thought you were working late tonight?” Silvie said as she arrived at their table. She turned to face Piper and her face registered surprise. “Aren’t you one of her students?”

 

Before Piper had a chance to answer, Alex rushed out, “Yeah, we just ran into each other here. Piper had a question about the final.”

 

Piper’s head was spinning. How would Silvie know if Alex was working late or not? Why was Alex lying to her about them running into each other? How did Silvie know about this coffee shop if it was Alex and Diane’s secret place? Then a realization dawned on Piper. They were still hooking up. It was the only explanation. Alex must have introduced this coffee shop to Silvie just like she did tonight with Piper.

 

“I did have a question,” Piper said angrily standing from the table, “but I got my answer. I’ll see you later.” She marched toward the door and out into the chilly evening air.

 

She paced the sidewalk outside of the coffee shop fuming, her emotions everywhere. How could she be so naïve? Was Alex just playing with her for her own amusement?

 

Moments later the bell on the door rang, alerting Piper to the fact that Alex had followed her out.

 

“Piper, are you okay?” She placed a soft hand on the blonde’s elbow.

 

Piper inhaled, attempting to get her emotions under control. “I’m fine, Alex. I’m going home.”

 

Alex chuckled, “but I’m your ride.”

 

“I already called an uber.” Piper said, refusing to look at the other girl.

 

Alex’s eyebrows scrunched. How had things escalated so quickly? How had a conversation that was supposed to finally settle things ended so terribly? A car pulled up along the curb and the window rolled down. “I’m here for Piper?”

 

“Can we continue this conversation tomorrow?” Alex asked desperately as Piper climbed into the backseat.

 

Piper finally met her gaze and Alex could see that her eyes were bloodshot. “I don’t know, Alex. I think I just need some time.”


	8. Chapter 8

Piper’s tennis shoe clad feet pounded hard against the moving belt of the treadmill. Running certainly cleared her mind. She thought maybe it was the cadence of it all, her measured breathing joining with her rhythmic footfalls, heart pumping in tandem. Each piece an instrument creating a symphony of tranquility in her mind. A symphony only for her.

 

Usually, her mind-clearing runs were a good thing. Usually, she was able to organize her thoughts and resolve her problems. Today, unfortunately, it just made her overreaction the previous night even more clear.

 

Yanking an earbud from her ear, she turned her face to the neighboring treadmill. “I really fucked up,” she panted, keeping her pace.

 

Polly’s eyes met hers and she gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, Piper.”

 

Piper shook her head. “No, Polly.” She panted, red-faced. “It was. I’m sure Alex thinks I’m psychotic now. She’ll probably never speak to me again.” She laughed in a self-deprecating way, “I mean, I _cried_ for god’s sake.” She shook her head and jabbed her finger against a button on the screen of the treadmill, upping her speed, really pushing herself. She sprinted for a few minutes in silence, and Polly turned her attention back to the _Fixer Upper_ episode playing on the TV mounted to the wall in front of them.

 

When her legs threatened to give out, she turned the speed down to a brisk walk. Turning back to Polly, she said, “You know that feeling you get when things go the exact opposite way that you had envisioned them going? I mean, I was so sure that last night’s date was going to be the start of something. I think maybe just the shock and disappointment of hearing about that stupid rule, like, made me snap or something.”

 

“You’re an emotional person, Pipe,” Polly said with a knowing smile and a shrug. “And lord knows you’ve been stressing over this thing with Alex all semester. It honestly doesn’t surprise me that you finally imploded. I mean, she was totally playing games with you. You were almost always unsure about where you stood with her, and whenever you thought you knew how she felt, she’d do something to leave you feeling uncertain again. You really shouldn’t take all the blame, here. She should have been up front with you from the beginning.”

 

Piper sighed, turning her head away from Polly to face forward once again. “Well, she finally was up front with me last night. I mean, I didn’t even let her finish whatever she was trying to say. She admitted to having feelings for me, but the thing that I chose to focus on is the fact that there’s a rule out there keeping us from being together. And now that I’ve had some distance from the whole situation, time to really think about it, it doesn’t even seem like that big of a deal. Would it really be that hard to wait one more semester to be together? We would at least be friends and still be able to see each other and hang out. Now, I’ve totally ruined any chance I ever had. Not to mention her fucking _career_ is at stake, here. I mean, I would _hate_ myself if I was the reason she lost her spot in the graduate program.”

 

As Piper ranted, Polly could tell that she finally got it. She had finally put everything together and knew what she wanted, knew what Alex was worth to her, understood _why_ Alex had been holding back, really got _it._ But, truth be told, she was worried her friend _had_ screwed things up beyond fixing.

 

However, being a good friend meant always staying positive, supportive. She slowed the speed on her treadmill to match Piper’s and replied, “Maybe just give her some space and let things settle. All you can do at this point is apologize and let her know where you were coming from. You understand what was motivating her behavior, but she still might not get why you reacted the way you did last night, which I still think was a valid reaction after everything she’s put you through. Maybe slightly over-the-top, but _still_. Also, what’s up with that Silvie chick? Last night, you said you thought there was still something going on between them?”

 

Piper shook her head, coming to a stop as her running program ended. She grabbed her towel and dabbed at the perspiration that had accumulated near her hairline and on her chest. “No, I think I was just reading into things because I was so emotional. I think they’re over. Alex never seems happy when she’s around. I just jumped to conclusions because Alex lied to her, but I think that had more to do with the rule. But anyway, I think you’re right. I think we _both_ need a little space and I really need to focus on finals and _A Streetcar Named Desire_. We open this weekend and things are crazy at rehearsals right now. I can’t be worrying about Alex right now.”

 

Even as the words left her mouth, she knew that was easier said than done.

 

…

 

“Come on, Vause! It’ll be fun.”

 

Alex rolled her eyes, swiveling around in her desk chair. “I didn’t know you were into theater.”

 

Nicky shrugged. “Well, I’m not really. But Lorna really wants to go and _Christopher_ ,” she said his name in a high-pitched whiny voice punctuated with a dramatic eye roll, “loved theater too. So, I have to go; I can’t give her any reason to miss that asshole.”

 

“It’s a university production of _A Streetcar Named Desire_? You know it’s going to suck, right?” Alex said with a husky laugh.

 

Nicky shrugged and said, “At least it’s free, and it’s something to do. You need to get your mind off Piper, and who knows? It might be more fun than you expect. Poussey and Taystee said they might tag along. We could all go for a drink after or something. You’ve been brooding since Tuesday. Come on, your friends miss you.”

 

So, that was how Alex found herself seated in the scratchy, worn down chairs in the small university theater on a Friday night, Nicky, Lorna, Taystee, and Poussey seated to her right, and a stranger seated much too close for comfort to her left. She flipped half-heartedly through the small program, before setting it aside to check her email before the play started. She passively listened as Lorna expressed her excitement to Nicky, and Nicky shifted to place her arm around Lorna’s shoulders. The dark haired girl couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s happiness.

 

As the lights went down, Alex switched her phone to silent mode and settled in to watch what she was sure to be a disaster. She leaned in closer to Nicky’s side, ready to provide a mocking commentary of the production as a few of the actors entered onto the stage.

 

As the stage lights came on, Alex’s eyes found _her_ standing near the back of the set dressed in 1940s period clothing. The scene began, and it seemed as though Piper wasn’t one of the major characters, just a member of the ensemble who meandered around the back of the painted town, pretending to peruse fruit being sold by an outdoor vendor and engaging in a silent conversation with another extra. Alex didn’t hear what was said as Stanley threw a meat package at Stella, or when Blanche arrived and spoke to Eunice. Her full attention was on the blonde in the background, who was now placing a shiny apple into her burlap bag with a smile on her face.

 

“Psst…” Nicky’s elbow nudged into her arm. “Is that Piper?”

 

Alex nodded, meeting Nicky’s eyes briefly.

 

“Did you know she was in this?” Nicky asked in a loud, raspy whisper.

 

Alex shook her head and whispered back, “I had no clue.”

 

The people seated in the row behind them shushed them loudly. Nicky rolled her eyes, and turned in her seat to give them a pointed look, while zipping her lips with her fingers.

 

Alex focused once again on the action of the show. They were now inside Stella’s apartment, so Piper was no longer in the scene. The dark-haired girl tried to pay attention to the plot, but she found her attention being drawn to Piper whenever she was on stage and her thoughts dominated by her when she wasn’t.

 

After the last scene, one where Piper had had a more featured roll of the nurse who helps take Blanche away, the house lights came on, and the cast entered the stage one at a time for curtain call. Piper entered with the other members of the ensemble after each of the main characters had received their applause. As Piper made her way to the front of the stage, Alex couldn’t explain the swell of pride she felt for the younger girl. She looked so radiant, cheeks flushed, eyes bright and shining, smile stretched from ear to ear. Alex joined the myriad of other theater patrons on their feet to give the cast a standing ovation.

…

 

Following curtain call, Piper quickly made her way down the hall to the group dressing room to change and gather her things. Polly and Pete were in the audience tonight, and she was supposed to meet them in the lobby for a late congratulatory dinner.

 

She entered the lobby and quickly glanced around, scanning for her friend. Her eyes didn’t find Polly, so she leaned against one of the brick walls and pulled out her phone to scroll through Instagram while she waited, assuming Polly had had to use the restroom after the show.

 

A throat cleared. Then, “So, Miss Overachiever is an actress as well? I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  
Piper’s head shot up when she heard that familiar raspy voice and her surprised eyes connected with Alex’s mischievous ones. She blushed slightly, memories of Tuesday night rushing back to her. “I didn’t know you were coming,” she said carefully.

 

Alex barked out a laugh. “I didn’t know you were gonna be in it or I would have told you!”

 

Piper shrugged and blushed, “Well, I didn’t really have much of a role.”

 

Alex narrowed her eyes playfully and shook her head once. “Don’t do that. You were great. Seriously. Stole the show.”

 

Piper let out a laugh, “Uh huh, yeah. I used a lot of creative license for the role of the nurse. They really let me run with it, make it my own. You know, I’m really glad I had the chance to play such an iconic role.”

 

Alex just laughed at her sarcasm.

 

Piper really didn’t know how she always remained so calm. Standing here talking to Alex after everything that had happened last Tuesday left Piper feeling awkward and on edge. But Alex looked totally cool and collected, still smiling at Piper, but seemingly not feeling the same urge Piper did to fill in the silence.

 

“So, um.” Piper began, breaking eye contact to look at her feet. “I’m sorry about Tuesday, the way I reacted. I was just surprised.” Her eyes met Alex’s again.

 

Alex shook her head, “No, I get it. I’m sorry I had to spring all that on you. I’m sure there was a better way to bring it up, I just didn’t know how.”

 

Piper’s phone chimed in her hand. She glanced down at it, but chose to ignore it, feeling like there was more to be said. “I totally understand what’s at stake for you here. I was hoping that maybe we could still be friends, you know, maybe grab a coffee together every once in a while? Then, once I graduate, maybe we can revisit all this? See how we both feel at that point?”

 

Alex was surprised by how mature Piper was being, but they had both had time to think about everything. Hearing Piper say this was a relief for sure, but also a disappointment. Alex didn’t know if she wanted, or even if she _could_ , wait that long. This week had been awful, and tonight, just seeing Piper on stage and talking to her now was enough to make it all better. Could she handle being just friends with Piper until May?

 

She honestly didn’t know, but she knew she’d try. She reached out and ran her hand down Piper’s sweater clad arm, linking their fingers together. “I’d like that a lot, Pipes.”

 

Piper beamed up at her, and it was difficult for Alex not to lean in and press their lips together.  Before she had much time to dwell on that, Piper’s phone chimed again, and Piper broke eye contact. “It’s probably Polly. We’re supposed to grab dinner tonight.”

 

She released Alex’s hand to reply to the message that was indeed from Polly.

 

Piper smiled apologetically. “I should probably go. They’re waiting outside.”

 

Even after their reassurances of friendship, Alex couldn’t help feeling like this moment seemed heavy, like more of a permanent goodbye rather than an ‘I’ll see you later.’ She replied, “Okay. Good luck on your finals if I don’t see you.”

 

Piper smiled mischievously, “I just might drop by your office hours one last time before Heely’s final.”

 

“Yes, please do. I miss you pretending not to know anything just as an excuse to come see me.” Alex cackled.

 

Piper’s eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. The blush that swept across her face was telling enough to confirm Alex’s suspicion that she had been faking her need for help all along.

 

The blonde quickly gained her composure and replied, “Don’t pretend you didn’t love it. The one time I didn’t show up you sent me an e-mail saying you missed me!’

 

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. “I did no such thing.”

 

Piper smirked and said, “Well, not exactly. But you did,” she paused, then clarified, “miss me.” Piper’s eyes held hers shyly, looking for reassurance that she didn’t make up or misinterpret everything between them.

 

Piper watched as Alex nodded, surprised to see a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “I did,” she confirmed softly.

 

They smiled at each other for a moment longer, then Piper sighed and gestured toward the door. “I really should go.”

 

Alex nodded, waving slightly as Piper rushed out.

 

The following night at curtain call, as Piper’s eyes skimmed over the faces in the crowd, she was surprised to see those familiar green eyes lock with hers, streaks of blue hair amidst jet black strands catching the lights from the stage.

 

…

 

Alex shifted her laptop from her legs to the coffee table in front of her, standing to fetch a beer from the kitchen of her tiny apartment. She heaved out a sigh, pissed that she was home grading assignments at midnight on a Saturday night instead of out with her friends.

 

It was really her own fault. She’d been mopey since “the incident” (as she was referring to it in her head) with Piper on Tuesday and had put these assignments off until now. Assignments Heely apparently needed graded by Monday. So, she had begrudgingly resigned herself to a weekend of grading, forgoing the idea of any fun plans with Nicky.

 

Luckily though, she was feeling much more upbeat after her brief conversation with Piper the previous night after seeing her in the play. It seemed like they might actually be on the same page, which gave Alex hope that they could work this all out. And Alex _really_ wanted it all to work out.

 

She returned to her seat on the couch when her phone alerted her to a new text message.

 

_From Piper Chapman (12:13am):_ There’s this show on TV that made me think of you

 

Alex smirked as she typed out a response.

 

_To Piper Chapman (12:14am):_ Oh yeah?

 

She set the phone aside and pulled her computer back onto her lap. It wasn’t long before Piper’s response came through.

 

_From Piper Chapman (12:16am):_ Gilmore Girls

 

Alex couldn’t help barking out a laugh and scrunching her eyebrows perplexed.

 

_To Piper Chapman (12:18am):_ Why did _that_ make you think of me?

 

Alex returned to grading. Piper’s response was so delayed, Alex was once again immersed in the assignments.

 

_From Piper Chapman (12:33am):_ I guess I’m just always thinking of you. Come watch with me?

 

Alex stared at the message for a moment, mouth hanging open in surprise at Piper’s candid response. She felt her stomach muscles flutter slightly, and a warm heat begin to build just beneath them.

 

There was no misinterpreting this. That message was a sincere admittance of Piper’s feelings; she was putting it all out there. It was now up to Alex to decide. Was she willing to risk her education and career for this smart, silly, brave, hotheaded, and sometimes overly-emotional girl?

 

“Aw, fuck it.” Alex muttered under her breath, smile quickly taking over her face.

 

_To Piper Chapman (12:34am):_ I’ll be over in 10

 

…

 

Piper’s heart was racing. Alex was on her way over, and Piper was fairly certain this wasn’t just a “two friends hanging out” sort of thing.

 

She had to give credit to the one and a half glasses of wine she’d drank after making it home from the play for giving her the courage she had needed to text Alex and daringly invite her over.

 

A knock sounded at the door just as the blonde had finished pulling a tight pair of skinny jeans over her legs. She gave herself a quick glance in the mirror and then rushed into the living room to get the door.

 

And there she was looking as gorgeous as ever. Piper had never seen the older girl with her hair up, but that must be how she wore it sometimes when she was relaxing by herself at home. Her thick dark locks made for an attractive messy bun, with the strands of blue peeking out in random places. She was wearing black leggings paired with a soft-looking oversized sweater.

 

“So, Gilmore Girls, huh?” Alex said with laughter in her voice, as Piper opened the door wider and motioned for her to enter.

 

Piper shrugged, some color rushing to her cheeks. “Hey! It was the only semi-decent thing on at midnight on a Saturday night.”

 

Alex continued to stare at her with eyes narrowed in suspicion, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

 

“Okay, okay,” Piper gave in with a laugh, “I like their witty banter! Sue me.” She rolled her eyes, pushing Alex gently toward the couch. “Sit. Do you want some wine?”

 

Alex chuckled, happy that she had correctly guessed that Piper really _did_ enjoy the show. “Wine sounds great.”

 

“You know,” Piper called to the living room from the kitchen as she poured a glass of wine for her guest, “Gilmore Girls really does remind me of you.” She reappeared, noticing that Alex had situated herself sort of in the middle of couch and not off to one side. She smiled slightly, realizing this meant that they could sit closer together. “Lorelai and Rory’s relationship kind of makes me think of you and your mom.”

 

She handed Alex the glass, then took a seat next to her in the middle of couch, leaving enough space between them so that they didn’t touch. Alex turned her body slightly, so that she was semi facing the blonde and shrugged her shoulders slightly. “I’ve never seen it.”

 

Piper’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Are you serious? Oh my god Alex! You have to watch!”

 

Alex laughed at Piper, once again feeling that warmth spread through her abdomen. The wine probably had a small role in that, but she knew that just being in Piper’s presence made her feel warm and happy. She was in trouble. “I thought that’s why you invited me over! To watch, remember?”

 

Piper smiled an odd little close-lipped smile and blinked her eyes slowly, attempting to make herself look prim and proper. Wine always made her feel a little silly. “As a matter of fact, I do remember.” She giggled at herself, sipping again from her wine glass.

 

Alex had never seen the younger girl act so playful and carefree. It was taking the entirety of her self-restraint to keep herself from reaching out and pulling the blonde to her either to tickle her and make her giggle more or to kiss her senseless. Alex truly couldn’t decide which option was more appealing.

 

“Welp,” Piper said, sliding down slightly into the couch to get comfortable. “I guess that means we should start at the beginning.” She exchanged her glass of wine for the remote to pull up Netflix and select the pilot episode.

 

As the episode began to play, Alex also shifted down into the couch to get more comfortable. She leaned into Piper slightly, allowing their arms to touch from shoulder to elbow. She wasn’t really surprised, but was still relieved when Piper didn’t shift away from her touch, but leaned in to press more firmly against Alex’s side.

 

They watched mostly in silence, with Piper adding in small comments here and there. Eventually, Piper moved to refill their wine glasses, telling Alex not to pause the show – she’s seen it a million times.

 

When she returned with the freshly filled wine glasses, she plopped back down against Alex and turned her attention back to the screen. “Ugh, Dean. You’ll probably hate him, but I think you’ll like Jess if you keep watching. Jess is the best.”

 

Alex made a small noise of agreement, but the darker haired girl was having a difficult time concentrating. Piper’s head had fallen to rest on Alex’s shoulder, and when she had sat back down, her shirt had gotten pushed up slightly, so that a strip of soft-looking, pale skin above her jeans was visible.

 

Her fingers itched to stroke it. She wondered how salty that strip of skin would taste under her tongue.

 

As if Piper could sense Alex’s wondering thoughts, she turned her head toward Alex, eyelids drooping slightly from the wine and late hour. Their eyes met, and Piper could feel the intensity in Alex’s dark gaze. Piper rubbed her nose softly against Alex’s cheek and whispered, “I saw you in the audience again tonight.”

 

Alex blushed, embarrassed. She hadn’t expected Piper to see her. She turned her head away from Piper’s in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, wondering if she should deny it. But Piper’s fingers grazed softly down her arm, tangling their fingers together, tugging.

 

Alex turned to meet her eyes again. Piper’s eyes were dark, pupils having expanded with desire. The darker haired girl’s eyes briefly lowered, drawn to Piper’s mouth as her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip. Piper breathed out, and waited for Alex’s eyes to connect with hers again. Her lips turned up in the slightest smile as she whispered, “I thought it was really sweet.”

 

Alex’s eyes fluttered shut as Piper leaned closer still, tilting her head a little. Piper’s lips pressed against Alex’s, dried out slightly from the wine, but still so soft. Alex pushed closer, pressing their lips more firmly together, reaching her hand out to tease the strip of exposed skin that had been teasing her earlier.

 

The kiss soon progressed from soft and hesitant to needy and intense. Alex felt like all of her pent up emotions and frustrations in regards to her feelings for Piper finally had a method of release, through lips and teeth and tongue.

 

She pulled Piper’s full lower lip in between her own and nipped gently at it with her teeth, allowing their tongues to meet a moment after releasing it. Piper made a noise in the back of her throat, something between a sigh and a moan and suddenly Alex needed to hear it again.

 

She tugged softly, but persistently, at Piper’s hips, pulling the smaller girl over and onto her lap, so that one of Piper’s knees rested on either side of Alex’s thighs. Piper’s fingers were woven into her hair, doing amazing things to her scalp, and her own fingers began to slip up under the hem of the blonde’s shirt.

 

Finally, needing air, Piper pulled away slightly, keeping her forehead rested against Alex’s. “Is this okay?” Piper asked breathless.

 

Alex nodded and leaned forward to peck Piper’s lips softly. Piper was relieved that she hadn’t misinterpreted the situation or what Alex’s presence at the play again that night meant.

 

“What about the rule? Do you think you’ll get in trouble?” Piper asked, shifting off of Alex’s lap. She knew this was probably a conversation they should have before things went further, to make sure there was no confusion on either of their ends about what this meant for their relationship.

 

Alex sighed. “I really don’t know. But it’s worth the risk, Pipes. I want to be with you and I don’t want to wait until May for that to happen.”

 

The smile that stretched across Piper’s cheeks and the way her eyes sparkled with happiness was enough confirmation to Alex that she had made the right decision.

 

Piper’s fingers wove together behind Alex’s neck, yanking her forward for another kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the M rating comes into play. If smut isn't your thing, you can definitely skip it.  
> Also, this was my first time ever writing smut, so keep that in mind as you read! I'd love some constructive feedback on my writing in general, but specifically this scene (too descriptive, not descriptive enough, etc).

Piper kissed Alex with fervor; those words had been exactly what Piper had been longing to hear for so long, and she wanted Alex to know how much it meant to her to hear her say them. Her fingers wove into the hair pulled back along Alex’s scalp, loosening the top knot and making the messy bun even messier.

 

As things heated up again quickly, Piper found herself once again straddling Alex’s lap. It didn’t phase her, really, the fact that she was making out with a girl. She thought it might seem kind of different or awkward; even though she knew she was attracted to women, she had never been intimate with a woman in this way, yet. Sure, she and Alex had kissed before, but not like this. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect; would she enjoy it as much with a woman?  Would her body react in a similar way? Would it feel weird, foreign, or not quite right? She didn’t think so, but she truly wasn’t sure. This position was familiar to her, though, and Piper liked the control she had seated across Alex’s thighs. So far, there was nothing weird about it. She just felt thrilled and excited to be doing this with Alex. Finally.

 

She raised up slightly on her knees, her hands now cupping Alex’s face and tilting Alex’s head back to rest on the top of the couch, so that Piper’s face was directly above hers; waves of blonde falling around them. She felt Alex’s hands, which had been gripping her hips, slide down her jean-clad thighs, fingernails raking down toward her knees. When her hands reached the tops of Piper’s knees, they slid around to the back of her legs, and then slowly back upward. Piper shuddered and felt wave after wave of heat crash through her body, pooling low in her belly. Alex’s hands felt so good on her, even over her clothing; she wondered what they would feel like on bare skin.

 

Alex’s hands slid up over the curve of her ass, a teasing touch, really, not lingering, and up to the small of her back, where her fingers slid underneath her t-shirt and landed on the soft skin there. The brunette detached her lips from the blonde’s, Piper pouting slightly at the loss of contact, but soon Alex was kissing and sucking on her neck and she wasn’t pouting any more.

 

Alex slowed the pace as she placed a slow trail of kisses along the column of Piper’s neck. Now that this was finally happening, she wanted to take her time and enjoy it. Her fingers brushed softly across Piper’s lower back, tracing the slight indentation of the dimples there. She disconnected her lips from Piper’s neck and waited for Piper’s eyes to open and meet her own. When they did, Alex smiled softly at her. She wanted her to know how happy she was to be here, with Piper specifically. The brunette brought her right hand up to Piper’s face, the tips of her fingers trailing from the blonde’s forehead to her temple and down her cheek, all the way to her chin. Her thumb pressed gently into the middle of her chin, while the rest of her fingers curled underneath. She tipped the blonde’s face toward her own, eyes fluttering shut once more as she met Piper’s mouth with her own, this time for a much slower, more deliberate kiss.

 

Butterflies fluttered chaotically inside Piper’s stomach in response to Alex’s loving actions, warm arousal building low in her tummy, beginning to ache for some sort of release.

 

This time, it was Piper who broke away, her cheeks flushed an attractive pink in the dim light. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, but clear as she bit her lip nervously, and climbed off Alex’s lap. The older girl raised her brow as Piper reached for her hand, tugging her up off the couch and led her down the hall and into her bedroom.

 

Piper shut the door behind them and stood nervously in front of Alex, waiting for the more experienced girl to take the lead. Alex held both of her hands and asked, “Are you sure, Pipes?”

 

Alex could tell Piper was nervous, but she nodded her head with no hesitation. “I am, Alex. I want this so much….” she trailed off a little, breaking eye contact and looking at the floor. “I’m just a little nervous, because I don’t have much experience and I’ve never done this with a woman before.” She met Alex’s eyes, unsure about how she would react to that admission.

 

She was surprised when Alex’s eyes crinkled and a smile stretched across her face. She tilted her head, her eyebrows raised as a chuckle escaped her lips and she said, “You’re a baby gay.”

 

“Alexxx.” Piper whined with an eye roll and a smile.

 

“C’mere.” Alex tugged her closer. “You don’t have to be nervous, Piper. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, okay? And we can go as slow as you need to.”

 

Piper smiled, relaxing already at Alex’s words, feeling some of the pressure she was feeling melt away. Alex tilted her head forward to capture Piper’s lips once more in a gentle kiss.

 

As Piper got caught up in the kiss, feeling Alex’s hands running up and down her arms, tangling in her hair, Piper relaxed into it. As Alex’s hot tongue met hers, she moaned. Her hands slipped up under Alex’s sweater and she let her fingertips trace up her sides until they reached the fabric of her bra, and then back down again. She wasn’t feeling _that_ bold yet.

 

Alex took a step back from her, disconnecting their lips. Piper was about to follow her, to reclaim those lips, but she stopped, frozen, as Alex crossed her arms in front of her, grasping the hem of her sweater, and pulled upward, effectively removing the garment from her body. She let it drop carelessly to the floor.

 

Piper gazed at her for a minute, letting her eyes rake over all of the newly exposed skin. Alex was perfect. Her darkened eyes met Alex’s just as Alex reached up and tugged at her ponytail holder, loosening her bun and causing the strands to cascade freely across her shoulders and back.

 

In one step, Piper was back against the darker haired girl, one hand immediately threading into the now-free silky locks, the other coming to rest on Alex’s hip. “Wow,” the blonde murmured as her lips captured Alex’s once again. She felt Alex smile into the kiss at the compliment.

 

They had been slowly backing up, and Alex’s knees finally hit Piper’s bed, so she sat. She smiled mischievously up at Piper, then hooked her fingers through Piper’s front belt loops, tugging her closer. Piper’s lower half moved before her upper half, not expecting the sudden movement. She lost her balance and toppled forward into Alex, the two girls falling back onto the bed in a fit of giggles.

 

“Smooth, Alex.” Piper joked from above the brunette. Alex smiled in return, but she wasn’t laughing anymore. The feel of Piper’s body on top of her own caused a hot bolt of heat shoot straight to her center. She leaned her head up and kissed the blonde with a passion, her fingers grasping and pulling impatiently at the hem of Piper’s t-shirt.

 

Piper giggled again, feeling a sense of power at Alex’s desperation beneath her. She loved the way Alex reacted to her; it made her feel sexy and desired. She felt reassured that Alex wanted her, that she hadn’t fabricated their attraction in her head. She sat up, still straddling Alex’s hips, and settled her weight back low on Alex’s hips. Alex groaned at the sensation, fingers hooking once again into Piper’s belt loops, tugging gently on them. Piper lifted the shirt the rest of the way over her head, leaving her in just a lace bralette.

 

She blushed at Alex’s eyes on her body. Alex slowly ran her fingers up Piper’s abdomen, question in her eyes, but Piper didn’t stop her. She wasn’t as nervous anymore, now that they were in the midst of things, and Alex’s appreciative gaze was a huge confidence boost.

 

Piper’s head rolled back as Alex’s hands cupped her breasts over her bralette. Her nipples hardened at the friction between the lace and Alex’s palm. Alex sat up, Piper still straddling her lap, and kissed her lips gently. She rolled Piper’s left nipple between her thumb and forefinger and she pressed a light kiss to her right nipple through the lace.

 

Piper gasped at the sensation, her own fingers weaving into Alex’s hair and holding her head against her breast. Alex pressed the flat of her tongue against the hardened bud and alternated between licking and sucking it. She then switched to give Piper’s left breast equal attention.

 

Piper was nearly mewling in response by the time Alex released her. The older girl unclasped the blonde’s bralette, finally allowing the material to fall away. She then reached behind herself and unhooked her own bra.

 

Piper took her in through hooded eyes. The look of desire there turned Alex on immensely. Alex gently pushed Piper off her and helped her off the bed. Her fingers popped the button on Piper’s jeans and lowered the zipper. “Let’s get these off you,” she said, kneeling down and pressing a kiss to the skin that was revealed below the blonde’s navel. Piper’s stomach muscles tightened at the pleasant sensation.

 

Alex pulled her jeans down and off her. She kissed the skin above her panty line again, then hooked her fingers into Piper’s underwear. She paused, looking up to meet Piper’s eyes. “Is this okay?”

 

“Yes, please.” Piper nodded, so turned on.

 

“So polite,” Alex teased with a smile as she tugged Piper’s panties down. She pressed a third kiss to the skin below Piper’s navel before standing again and taking all of Piper in. “And so beautiful.” She pressed a soft kiss to Piper’s lips. She took the blonde’s hands in hers and placed them at the waist band of her own leggings, urging Piper to finish undressing her.

 

Piper gently ran her nails up and down Alex’s torso, pausing just before touching her breasts. The younger girl hesitated, looking up into Alex’s eyes and asking uncertainly, “Can I…” she held her hand out toward Alex’s breast.

 

Nodding, Alex guided Piper’s hand to her breast. “You can touch me wherever you want to, Pipes. I want to feel your hands on me.”

 

Her voice was husky and Piper’s eyelids fluttered at the sound of it. Piper experimentally cupped Alex’s breasts, feeling the weight of them in her palms. She brushed her thumb against Alex’s already erect nipple, pleased with Alex’s sharp intake of breath.

 

She waited for Alex to meet her eyes, and when she did, she smiled mischievously at the older girl before leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to one of the hard peaks. She mimicked Alex’s earlier actions on her own breasts, loving the response she was getting from the darker haired girl from her ministrations.

 

Feeling courageous, she bit gently on the bud, holding it between her teeth as her tongue flicked at it.

 

Alex moaned, pulling gently on Piper’s hair. Piper released her breast and continued to kiss a trail down her stomach, dipping her tongue into Alex’s bellybutton, ending at the waistband of her leggings.

 

Nerves replaced only with need, she tugged Alex’s leggings and panties down in one motion, helped her step out of them, and then pulled her immediately back onto the bed.

 

As Piper scooted backwards until her head hit he pillows, Alex hovered over her. Once she was situated comfortably, her eyes met Alex’s, and she waited again for Alex to take the lead. Their eyes held for a moment, both sets blown out with desire, and then Alex’s fluttered closed as she bent her head to kiss Piper slowly. Piper’s hands immediately threaded into Alex’s silky locks, scratching softly at her scalp, and holding her head firmly in place.

 

Slowly, Alex lowered her body onto Piper’s allowing for the blonde to get used to her weight, and the sensation of so much skin-to-skin contact.  

 

She settled her thigh in between Piper’s own legs and pressed upward, applying pressure to Piper’s sensitive center. Piper moaned softly at the contact and Alex nearly joined her at the feel of the blonde’s slick wetness now coating her thigh. She was so close to losing control, but she was determined to go slow for Piper’s sake.

 

“How does that feel?” Alex whispered against her lips.

 

“So good, Al,” Piper managed to gasp out through heavy lidded eyes. Her hips beginning to find a rhythm against Alex’s leg.

 

Alex kissed her again. She let her left arm hold most of her weight as she began to explore Piper’s body again with her right. She tried to take her time, stopping briefly to squeeze Piper’s breast, eliciting an enticing whimpering sound that she promised herself she would try to produce again later, but continued a deliberate path down Piper’s ribs and abs and stopping just below her belly button. She removed her thigh from Piper’s slick center, smiling slightly as the blonde thrust upward in an attempt to keep the friction there.

 

She pulled her head back to watch Piper’s reaction as she dipped one finger between the blonde’s soft, wet folds, dragging her finger along the length of her slit and pressing softly against the bundle of nerves at the top.

 

Piper’s eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head as she arched up into the contact. Alex repeated the motion a few times, coating her finger in in Piper’s wetness.

 

“Oh,” Piper breathed out when Alex finally entered her with just one finger at first. Alex slowly pumped into her, letting the blonde adjust. She soon found a rhythm that Piper’s hips rose to meet for each thrust, and added a second finger. Alex picked up her pace, curling her fingers at just the right spot as she drew circles with her thumb on Piper’s clit. Piper cried out at the sensation. Alex repeated the action twice more and Piper tensed, thighs tightening around Alex’s arm as her orgasm rippled through her. Alex watched as Piper’s face scrunched up in intense pleasure and she felt a new surge of warm wet heat between her own thighs.

 

She continued to caress Piper softly as she came down from her orgasm, then removed her fingers. She wiped them on the sheets near Piper’s waist, tempted to take a taste, but not sure how Piper would react to her sucking her arousal from her fingers.

 

As Piper came down from her high, she smiled a lazy, satisfied smiled at the older woman. “That was….” she trailed off, staring up at the ceiling for a minute before meeting Alex’s eyes once again, “amazing.”

 

Alex chuckled at the dazed look on the blonde’s face. She gave Piper a sexy smile in return and said, “Well, there’s more where that came from. If you want.” Piper detected maybe a hint of insecurity in her tone.

 

She was quick to reassure, “Oh, I want.” Her smile grew mischievous. “But first,” she rolled her body quickly so that she was now on top of Alex, pinning her to the bed. She leaned down and pressed her lips against the shell of Alex’s ear and whispered, “I want to taste you.” She punctuated the statement with a small lick on Alex’s earlobe, taking the soft skin in between her teeth and sucking gently, her hot wet breath sending wave after wave of arousal to the juncture of Alex’s thighs. Alex moaned loudly, surprised by Piper’s actions.

 

She was the perfect mix of shy nervousness and bold confidence. It was a huge turn on for Alex. She was already so wet, so turned on, she knew it wouldn’t take much.

 

As much as she tried to practice patience and restraint, her hips bucked up toward Piper’s body, desperately searching for some sort of friction to relieve her throbbing need. She felt Piper’s lips stretch into a smile against her neck. “Impatient,” she murmured teasingly. Alex was learning that Piper liked to be in control.

 

The blonde slowly kissed her way down Alex’s torso, enjoying the little noises of pleasure she elicited from the brunette, getting off on the fact that she was the one to produce them. She was immensely enjoying discovering what Alex liked, which actions led to which noises.

 

She knew she was teasing and she should give Alex what she wanted; Alex who was being so patient with her, showing such restraint, but her nervousness had returned. Everything so far had been familiar; she’d experienced all of that with the two men she had been with. This was uncharted territory. What if she wasn’t good? What if she couldn’t get Alex off?

 

Piper finally reached her destination, and Alex spread her own legs in encouragement. Piper took in the sight before her and that was really all she needed. Seeing how wet Alex was, how wet _she_ had made her, reassured her fears. She leaned forward and experimentally licked the entire length of Alex’s pussy. Alex’s hips surged toward her face, so she did it again.

 

Alex tasted tangy and sweet and Piper knew she was already addicted to brunette’s unique flavor. Alex’s fingers wove into Piper’s hair, tugging slightly as Piper continued to lick and explore Alex’s most intimate area.

 

The noises Alex made in response to Piper’s ministrations urged her on. “So close, Pipe. Don’t stop.”

 

Piper finally attached her lips to the bundle of nerves at the top of Alex’s slit and sucked hard, pushing Alex over the edge. Alex’s fingers tightened in Piper’s hair, holding the blonde’s face in place as she rode out the waves of her orgasm. Piper gently licked up all of the tangy sweetness, until Alex tugged her upward.

 

Piper crawled up Alex’s body, and peered down at Alex’s satiated face. Alex grinned lazily, happily up at her, and tugged her head down for a kiss.

 

Piper broke the kiss, feeling satisfied and spent, and snuggled up against Alex’s side. She placed a soft kiss on Alex’s shoulder and listened as her breathing even out.

 

Alex’s eyes began to flutter closed, so she turned her head and smiled down at the girl resting on her shoulder. Her arms snaked around the smaller girl’s waist, tugging her that much closer, as she said quietly, “Goodnight, Pipes.”

 

Piper twisted her head up for one last kiss. “Night, Al,” she mumbled as her own eyes fluttered shut.


	10. Chapter 10

Warm sunlight and the pleasant song of birds chirping outside slowly brought Piper into consciousness. She stirred a little, somewhere in between sleep and wakefulness, eyelids fluttering. A soft weight across her stomach reminded her, even before she was fully aware, of the events that had taken place the night before, and a smile crept across her face as her eyelids finally opened for good.

 

Her smile slowly widened as her eyes drank in the adorable sight of Alex sleeping soundly facing the blonde, one arm draped heavily across Piper’s abdomen. Her heart began to beat a little faster as memories of the previous night came racing back to her. She had been nervous (it had been her first time being that intimate with another woman), but so excited to share that experience with Alex. And Alex had been so patient and sweet with her (and had totally rocked her world).

 

Remembering it made her want to selfishly wake the older girl up; she missed her even though she was laying merely inches away. Piper reached her hand out to trace the wrinkles that were scrunched on Alex’s forehead, between her eyes. The caress caused Alex to sigh and the wrinkles smoothed themselves out as she relaxed under the blonde’s gentle touch.

 

The limp weight of Alex’s arm suddenly tightened around her waist, tugging Piper’s body closer to her own. Piper watched as Alex’s lips twitched upward into a lopsided smirk. She quietly hummed a contented sound, and forced her eyelids open.

 

As sleepy green eyes met sparkling blue, Piper tried to suppress her smile (which was so big, it may have been bordering on creepy), but the giddy feeling of waking up with Alex’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her close, and that sexy smirk directed at her made it impossible. She gave up trying and decided to embrace this feeling of happiness which was a long time coming.

 

Alex’s voice was raspy with sleep when she said with a raised eyebrow, “Were you watching me sleep?”

 

Piper’s nose scrunched up as she denied guiltily, “Nooooo.” Still smiling.

 

“Mmhmm.” That contented hum again. Her hand slid up under the oversized t-shirt Piper had slept in and lightly traced the warm skin of her spine, up and down. “Whatever you say, creeper.”

 

Alex’s teasing only fueled Piper’s giddiness and she lost all hope at wiping that goofy grin off her face. Goosebumps dotted her arms at Alex’s feather-light touch and she shivered slightly. Alex removed her hand from within Piper’s shirt and lifted it to her face instead. Her thumb gently caressed the blonde’s full bottom lip, fingers trailing across her cheek and down her neck. Alex licked her lips lightly as her hand cupped the nape of Piper’s neck. Her eyes fluttered closed as she gently brought Piper’s face in to meet her own.

 

It was a soft, close-lipped morning kiss, for which Piper was thankful as she was sure she had morning breath.

 

As Alex pulled away, she smiled and softly said, “Good morning.”

 

Piper’s smile matched the older girl’s as she replied, “Morning.”

 

Alex released her hold on Piper and rolled onto her back, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. She smiled up at the ceiling and said, “So I guess last night wasn’t a dream.” She turned her head so her eyes could meet Piper’s.

 

Piper blushed. “Definitely not a dream.” She hesitated, but Alex seemed truly happy and open and Piper figured she would give her a truthful answer, so she asked, “How do you feel about that?”

 

Alex’s eyes twinkled as she thought about messing with her; making a sarcastic comment in reply, but the vulnerable look on Piper’s face encouraged her to be serious. “So happy, Piper. Really. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that with you.” She paused to chuckle at the dark pink color the blonde’s cheeks were turning. “But more than that, how long I’ve wanted to be honest about the way I feel about you.”

 

Piper couldn’t help it. Through giggles, she teased, “And how _do_ you feel about me?”

 

Alex rolled back onto her side to face the younger girl and reached for her hand, linking their fingers together. “Well, I’m not completely disgusted by you.”  


“Hey!” Piper said with playfully exaggerated indignation as she pulled her hand out of Alex’s grasp.

 

Alex smiled and claimed her hand again, tracing the lines on her palm. “I think you know I kinda like ya.” She gently tugged the blonde’s hand up to her lips to place a light kiss against her knuckles.

 

Piper smiled at the display of affection, but her face grew serious again. “What will happen to you if they find out we’re together?”

 

Alex shrugged. “I’m not sure. Worst case is that they’ll kick me out of the program, but I don’t think that will happen. I think that rule is meant to protect students from being taken advantage of or benefitting unfairly from a romantic relationship with someone who has a hand in grading. I think it’s meant to stop things like trading sexual favors for a higher grade or the TA grading more lenient or flat out fudging the grades by giving their partner a better score than they earned. I think those are the real concerns, and since we didn’t do anything like that, I can’t imagine they would kick me out.”

 

Piper nodded. “That makes sense.” She rolled into Alex’s side and lay her head on her chest. Alex’s arms immediately wrapped around her middle as Piper’s snaked across the older girl’s hip and up under her tank top so that her fingers tickled the bare skin there. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if they kicked you out because of me.”

 

“I don’t think it will come to that.” She kissed the top of Piper’s head. “But maybe just until the end of the semester we should try not to tell too many people and be discrete in public. I think they would be less angry if they found out next semester, when you’re no longer in my class.”

 

“I can do that! But, can I at least tell Polly? She won’t tell anyone. She’s been telling me I need to get laid, so she’ll be happy to hear that it finally happened,” Piper said, tilting her head up to lock eyes with Alex, a mischievous smile creeping up her cheeks.

 

Alex laughed, “Yes, you can tell Polly; but maybe leave out some of the details.”

 

Piper raised her eyebrows. Her voice deepened and she said suggestively, “Oh, you mean I shouldn’t tell her about that thing you did with your tongue?”

 

Alex’s eyes darkened, thinking back to the previous night. She let her hands trail back up Piper’s shirt, letting her fingers caress the skin there. Piper pushed up on her elbows so she was hovering above Alex, blonde hair cascading around them in a curtain. She licked her lips as Alex’s fingers glided up along her ribs to softly cup her breasts, her eyes heavy-lidded. Morning breath be damned. She closed the distance and connected their mouths together in a heated kiss. Piper immediately plunged her tongue past Alex’s lips and into the wet warmth of the older girl’s mouth. Alex groaned and squeezed Piper’s breasts. Piper sucked Alex’s full bottom lip in between her own and pressed her hips down against Alex’s. Alex released Piper’s breasts and her hands traveled down the blonde’s sides to grip her hips.

 

As Piper pulled away slightly for air, her stomach let out a loud rumble. Piper froze, her face immediately turning red as she stared into Alex’s eyes. “Oh my god.”

 

Alex’s laughter was instantaneous and it didn’t take Piper long to join in. In a fit of laughter, the smaller girl collapsed onto Alex and rolled away clutching her stomach.

 

“Wow, Piper,” Alex said laughter on her voice.

 

“I’m hungry,” Piper replied through her own giggles.

 

“Yeah. Your stomach sounds like you haven’t fed it for months,” Alex teased.

 

“Shut up,” Piper replied. “How about some breakfast?”

 

…

 

The following week was busy. It was the week before finals, so final papers and projects had due dates nearing quickly, not to mention Piper also had _Streetcar_ performances every night until Sunday. It was not exactly the best week to be starting up a new romantic relationship, to say the least.

 

Piper had wanted to spend some time with Alex, but the older girl was busy with her own end of the semester to-do list, and so it always ended with one of them busy when the other was free. They played phone tag a lot, even sometimes catching the other for a brief chat, and sent cutesy little texts that go along with the sweet stage at the beginning of relationships.

 

On Friday, as Piper’s last ever Introduction to Psychology lecture ended her phone buzzed lightly on her desk. She finished shoving her notebook into her bag before checking the message.

 

_From Alex (1:30pm):_ You coming to office hours?

 

Piper smirked. She had been planning to swing by since it was Alex’s last day of office hours before the final next week.

 

_To Alex (1:31pm):_ Be there in 5

 

When Piper bounded up the stairs to the wing of graduate student offices she was surprised at how deserted it already was.

 

“Do you guys not have finals or something? Where is everyone?” Piper asked as she rounded into Alex’s office sounding slightly out of breath. She pulled Nicky’s empty desk chair over to Alex’s desk and flopped into it smiling at her girlfriend.

 

Alex smiled back, her eyes flitting to Piper’s upturned lips and then to the open door of the office as she contemplated kissing her hello.

 

She seemed to think better of it and focused back onto Piper’s blue eyes. “We usually have final papers that were due this week, so most everyone is done. I’ll be free after my office hours finish.”

 

“Must feel nice,” Piper teased. “I still have three play performances and _four_ finals next week!”

 

“And I have no doubt that you’ll ace each and every one of them.” Alex’s smile was fond and made color rise into Piper’s cheeks. The blonde wet her lips subconsciously, wishing that they didn’t have to be so careful. She hadn’t seen Alex all week, and she couldn’t even show her how much she had missed her.

 

She cleared her throat and smiled back, “Well, I’m gonna try at least. Which reminds me,” She says with a chuckle, digging into her backpack to find her notebook. “What the hell is cognitive dissonance?”

 

They slipped back into their old roles, TA and student, as Alex explained and gave examples for some of the concepts Piper was murky on. They had scooted their chairs closer together, hunched down over the textbook and notebook, faces close.

 

When Alex finished, she leaned back slightly to look at the blonde, to see if anything had clicked for her. Piper looked adorable as she tried to grasp the example Alex had given and apply it to the concept. Her brows were furrowed in thought and she was chewing on her bottom lip, eyes focused on the notes on the paper.

 

“So the reason the participants who were paid one dollar liked the experiment more is because they had to actually convince themselves they enjoyed it, because one dollar isn’t enough to justify lying to another participant by saying it was fun?”*

 

“Exactly,” Alex said, but it was her tone of voice that drew Piper’s focus from the notes to her TA’s darkened green eyes. It was only then that Piper had realized how close they had gotten.

 

Piper noticeably swallowed as her own eyes darkened and darted down to Alex’s parted lips.

 

Alex stood quickly, walking briskly to the door to her office. Piper frowned, wondering if she was bolting for some reason. But Alex popped her head into the hallway, then turned around to face Piper, closing the door softly behind her.

 

Piper’s heart picked up speed as Alex slowly advanced toward her. She stood when Alex reached her and their mouths crashed together. Alex was quick to grasp Piper’s waist and hoist her up onto the desk. As Alex’s tongue slipped past her lips, Piper let out a soft moan, and wrapped her legs around Alex’s waist. Her fingers tangled into dark tresses, tugging Alex’s face closer to hers. Alex’s hands clutched at Piper’s hips, pulling her body closer, pressing her thigh against Piper’s center.

 

The sensation jolted her to her core, and Piper threw her head back at the pleasurable feeling. “God, Alex.” she gasped, grinding herself harder against the older girl’s thigh.

 

The sound of a door slamming caused Alex to freeze, stiffening. She brought a finger up to Piper’s lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

 

They listened as two girls giggled; their conversation about winter break muted through the wall separating the office from the hallway. As their voices faded, Alex breathed out a sigh and took a step back. “Shit.” She helped Piper off the desk and smiled at her. “Can you come over after the play tonight?”

 

Piper nodded reaching up to peck Alex quickly on the lips, one last time. “I’ll text you when I’m heading over?”

 

“Sounds great. See you later, Pipes.”

 

…

 

“Okay, so when do we meet Jess? I don’t know how much more of Dean I can take.” Alex entered into her living room carrying a big bowl of popcorn. Piper had made herself comfortable in the center of Alex’s couch, blanket wrapped around her.

 

She laughed, “Not for awhile. I knew you wouldn’t like Dean.” She lifted the edge of the blanket up so Alex could slip in beside her. Alex settled the popcorn in Piper’s lap, then settled her hand to rest on Piper’s thigh. With her other hand, she grabbed some popcorn.

 

She tapped Piper’s thigh with her pointer finger. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask. Are you going home for Christmas?”

 

Piper nodded. “Yeah. Just for a week, though. Are you and your mom going anywhere, or will you be in town the whole break?” She popped a few of the puffed kernals into her mouth, settling more snugly into Alex’s side.

 

“I’ll be here the whole time,” Alex replied. “When do you leave?”

 

“I think probably next weekend, after finals. Then I’ll be home the week of Christmas, and come back the following weekend.”

 

Alex squeezed Piper’s thigh. “So you’ll be here for New Years? We should do something.”

 

Piper’s heart soared. She was still getting used to the fact that Alex actually wanted to spend time with her; to do things together. She smiled and leaned up to kiss Alex’s cheek. “We should! That would be fun.”

 

Alex smirked, eyebrow rising. “Maybe we can go back to the Watershed. I can make up for leaving you on the dance floor on Halloween.”

 

Piper jabbed her gently in the ribs, grinning. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

 

Alex released Piper’s thigh and wrapped her arm around her shoulders instead, pulling the blonde closer into a side hug. Piper sighed contentedly.

 

“Are you excited to see your family?” Alex asked. They hadn’t really had much of a chance to talk more about their personal lives, and Alex was curious to find out more about Piper’s family dynamic.

 

She felt Piper shrug against her. “I am,” she said. “Mostly to see my brothers, especially my younger brother Cal.”

 

“What’s he like? I always wanted a brother growing up.” Alex continued to munch on popcorn.

 

“He’s really funny and sweet. Danny was always the favorite of our parents, so Cal and I formed an alliance of sorts. He always has my back.”

 

“That sounds nice,” Alex said, lightly rubbing her fingers up and down Piper’s arm. “I’ve got my mom, and she’s my best friend, but it would have been nice to have someone on your team as a kid, you know?”

 

“Yeah,” she said with a yawn. “I haven’t seen him since the summer, so I’m looking forward to catching up with him.”

 

Alex smirked at Piper’s sleepy response. “Are you too tired to watch? Would you rather just go to bed?” Her hand trailed up Piper’s arm and into her hair, scratching lightly at her scalp.

 

“No, I can stay up for one episode. Let’s watch,” she said, leaning forward to press play on the remote control. As she leaned back into Alex’s embrace, she felt the older girl press a soft kiss to the top of her head. She couldn’t help but smile, feeling so happy that everything finally seemed to be working in her favor.

 

…

 

Finals week was busy, for Piper especially, but she found time to sneak over to Alex’s office during her few free hours, so the two could spend some time together. Those hours usually turned into make-out sessions, behind Alex’s locked office door, or in a random supply closet in the psychology building.

 

The sneaking around was actually kind of fun; the threat of getting caught provided an added exhilaration to their meet-ups; and at this point it was really all they could manage with Piper’s busy schedule.

 

On Friday, when she was finally finished, Alex ordered them take-out and they spent the night in Alex’s apartment saying their goodbyes.

 

The following morning, Piper left for Connecticut.

 

“Piper, are you almost ready, dear?” Piper sighed heavily, turning down the volume of the music she currently had blasting in her room.

 

“Coming!” She called, pausing in front of the mirror one last time to check her reflection; god forbid her mom find one small imperfection with her appearance.

 

As she appeared at the foot of the stairs, her mom walked toward her smiling. “You look beautiful.” She reached out to tuck a loose curl behind Piper’s ear. “Danny, Cal! We are going to be late!”

 

Carol Chapman managed to corral her husband and three children into the car and twenty minutes later, they had arrived to the Christmas party just fashionably late.

 

It only took ten minutes for Piper to become bored out of her mind. She _hated_ these events. She never knew anyone, and she couldn’t stand how fake her parents’ rich friends were. They gave backwards compliments, “Oh, you’ve really thinned out, dear,” and asked prying questions, “Do you have a boyfriend?” all to make comparisons between their lives and yours, to put you down so they feel better, and to gain information that they can twist around and use against you later. Piper didn’t want any part of it.

 

Piper found the red wine and seated herself at a table in the corner, resigned to a night of people-watching, starring the Lady who Can’t Hold her Liquor, Gropey McGroperson, Young Trophywife Golddigger, Mistress am I even Legal?, and Dr. Let Me Brag to You About How Much Money I Make to name a few. It may have been a different party at a different venue, but the cast of characters was always the same.

 

Her dad’s firm had really outdone themselves this year. They had rented out a huge ballroom and hired a band, one composed of instruments only – no vocalist. The dance floor was already packed with couples waltzing along to the music (or at least she thought they were waltzing. Piper’s mom had wanted her to take a ballroom dance class while she was in high school; Piper had flat out refused). There were numerous tables scattered throughout the room with ice sculptures ( _ice sculptures!_ ) sitting atop. Piper wondered what happened when they started to melt. Crisp looking waiters and waitresses lapped the room offering trays of hors d’ouevres  and collecting empty wine glasses.

 

Piper shook her head; it was all too much. She had never been able to imagine herself as part of this world, Cal neither. Her eyes found Danny, engaged in conversation with a professional-looking older man, surely attempting to make a new connection. He was nearly done with medical school and had been trying to make connections with doctors at all of the leading hospitals; give him an edge on the job market.

 

She looked around for Cal, thinking the two of them could hang out, maybe make this evening a bit more bearable if they faced it together, people-watching and trying to guess about the lives of the attendees, but she didn’t see him anywhere.

 

She took out her phone instead, scrolling through her messages.

 

_To Alex (8:16pm): Hey :) What are you up to?_

As she waited for the reply to come, she looked around again for Cal. _Where did he go?_

 

She noticed a pair of double doors that looked as if they would lead out onto a balcony area. She checked her phone again. Still no reply. She stood up, thinking that some fresh air would be nice.

 

She pushed through the doors, making sure to close them softly behind her so as not to draw attention. “Wow,” she whispered to herself as she took in the vast gardens before her. It was dark, but little lights were strung up along the paths and lit fountains cast out enough light for her to imagine how beautiful it must be in the daylight.

 

“Pretty dope, isn’t it?”

 

Piper jumped at the unexpected voice, spinning quickly toward it, her hand flying up to rest on her beating heart. “Cal! You scared the shit out of me!”

 

Cal just smiled a lazy smile and shrugged, “Sorry.”

 

Piper squinted at him, eyes narrowing at the way his body was slouched against the brick exterior of the ballroom, his face slack and eyes droopy. “Are you… high?”

 

Cal’s grin widened as he lifted his hand which had been hidden between his thigh and the balcony railing, displaying to her the joint pressed loosely between his fingertips. “Don’t tell mom,” he loudly whispered, over-exaggerated.

 

Piper took a seat next to her brother and held her hand out for the joint. He passed it over, and Piper took a hit, coughing as she released the smoke from her lungs. She passed it back to Cal, saying with a small laugh, “It’s been awhile since I’ve done that.”

 

Her phone chimed in her purse, so while Cal took another hit, she pulled it out and read the message from Alex.

 

_From Alex (8:30pm): Well hey :)_

_From Alex (8:30pm): I just finished watching a movie with my mom. We’re about to start another. What are you up to?_

 

Piper began to type out a reply.

 

_To Alex (8:30pm): I’m at some cocktail party. I wish I was curled up next to you watching movies. :(_

_From Alex (8:31): Me too. So are you all fancy at this party?_

 

Piper smiled.

 

_To Alex (8:31): So fancy_

_From Alex (8:31): Send a pic ;)_

“Hey, Cal, can I have another hit?” Cal passed over the joint. “Now will you take a picture of me?”

 

Cal blinked. “You want a picture of yourself with a joint?”

 

“I just want to send it to my, um, friend. I think she’ll get a kick out of it.” Piper passed him her phone.

 

“Okayyy.” Cal gave in and snapped the picture as Piper took her second hit.

 

She exchanged the joint for her phone. She laughed out loud when she saw the picture. It was perfect; Alex was going to die when she saw it.  The lights from the garden illuminated her, highlighting her perfectly curled hair and make-up. Cal had framed her in the image so that the bodice of her silky cocktail dress was visible. The way all that fanciness contrasted with the joint in her hand and the smoke being exhaled from her lips was just perfect.

 

She quickly hit send.

 

“So, a friend, huh?” Cal asked.

 

Piper smiled at the thought of Alex. With the whole secrecy thing, Piper had only been able to tell Polly about her new girlfriend; and she was pretty certain her parents would not approve of the fact that she had a new _girlfriend_ anyway. She really wanted to tell someone about Alex, and she knew she could trust Cal.

 

She blushed as she looked at Cal, took a deep breath, and said, “Well, my girlfriend, actually.”

 

Cal didn’t look much surprised, and she wondered if that was due to the marijuana or if he truly just wasn’t surprised. “Cool,” he said with a nod. “You seem happy.”

 

Piper smiled and replied, “I am.”

 

Her phone chimed, and she quickly unlocked it, eager to see Alex’s reaction.

 

_From Alex (8:36pm): Piper Chapman! Is that a joint in your hand? Are you high?!_

 

The message was followed by two laughter emojis.

 

Piper dissolved into a fit of giddy giggles. She held up her phone so Cal could read the message.

 

She quickly typed out a response as Cal sobered and said, “So tell me about her.”

 

Piper was happy to oblige, and the rest of the night flew by as she and Cal caught each other up on their lives.

 

At the end of the week, Piper was ready to make the 4 hour drive back to Litchfield. It was nice to spend the holiday with her family, and especially nice to catch up with Cal, but she was ready to get back to her life, back to Alex.

 

Her phone chimed. She quickly checked her mirrors and noticed that there were no other cars around, and she was on a straight stretch of highway. She unlocked her phone and glanced at the message.

 

_From Alex (3:07pm): ETA?_

 

Piper smiled. It felt good to know that Alex missed her and was looking forward to her return.

 

She pressed her voice-to-text button and constructed a message back.

 

_To Alex (3:08pm): About an hour. Wanna get dinner tonight?_

 

_From Alex (3:08pm): I’ll cook. Just come straight to my place when you get into town. Miss you._

 

Piper couldn’t stop the grin from stretching across her face. She pressed down a little harder on the gas, picturing Alex waiting for her with dinner set out on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This is a real study by Festinger & Carlsmith (1959)


	11. Chapter 11

Scanning the small, over-crowded café, Piper spotted two people standing from their table to leave. She quickly bee-lined for the newly available space, carefully balancing a plate in one hand and her phone in the other. Her backpack, swung over one shoulder, began to slide down her arm into the nook of her elbow as she moved toward her destination.

 

With a relieved sigh, she set her plate down first, and then settled her backpack in the small space in between her chair and the wall. She straightened up, gazing back toward the door just in time to see Polly rush in, eyes searching the space for her friend. When her eyes landed on Piper, she smiled and gave a small wave, weaving through the other café patrons on her way to their table.

 

“Oh my god, Piper, you will not believe the morning I’ve had!” she exclaimed as she heaved her backpack onto the floor. “My fucking economics professor sprung a pop quiz on us today and there was this, like, trick question about some term that _none_ of us had ever heard before, trust me, because we all talked about it after class let out. Anyway, this girl goes up to ask the professor about it, and she’s all, ‘We talked about this in class, and you guys are responsible for all the material we cover, even if it’s not explicitly on the slides. Everything is fair game,’ and literally we all look around at each other so confused. I promise she had never mentioned this term before. It was so unfair! Not to mention, who the hell gives a pop quiz during the first week of classes?  I’m already dreading the rest of the semester.”

 

Polly finally took a breath, and Piper shook her head sympathetically. She replied, “Really? That _really_ sucks. I feel like a pop quiz, _with_ a trick question, during the first week of classes is a really bad sign for the rest of the semester. Have you looked your professor up on rate my professor?”

 

Polly shook her head and said, “She’s new, apparently. Fresh out of graduate school, so there aren’t any reviews yet.”

 

Piper popped a potato chip into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, and then said, “Maybe she’s just getting the feel for teaching a class, then. Maybe this is her first time teaching, and she’s just trying to be a hard ass or something, to, like, prove herself.”

 

Polly rolled her eyes a bit. “Well that’s all fine and dandy, but she needs to calm the fuck down before she ruins my GPA. I wasn’t exactly looking to take a challenging course with some wannabe hard ass professor in my last semester in this hell hole. Economics is supposed to be an easy A.” Polly paused, glancing up at the line for food. “I’m gonna go order real quick,” she said, standing. “Do you need anything while I’m up?”

 

Piper shook her head. As Polly headed up to the line at the counter, Piper took a bite of her sandwich. She unlocked her phone and saw that she had a new message from Alex. She thumbed it open, and tossed another chip into her mouth.

 

_From Alex (11:46am): Nicky said she misses you hanging around our office_

She smiled.

 

_To Alex (11:46am): Aww I miss hanging around your office with you two. It’s been kinda weird not stopping by at all this week._

_From Alex (11:47am): I told her I can finally get some work done without you pestering me all the time ;)_

 

Piper rolled her eyes at Alex’s teasing. Glancing up, she noticed Polly paying for her lunch, so she quickly typed out a reply.

 

_To Alex (11:47am): You love my pestering ;) Maybe I can stop by this afternoon to say hi?_

 

After she hit send, though, she started second-guessing herself. She and Alex had been dating for a month now, but it was still very much a secret and Alex was still pretty nervous about people finding out.

 

_To Alex (11:47am): Unless you think that’d be too suspicious_

Alex’s response was nearly immediate.

 

_From Alex (11:47am): Yeah, that’s probably not a good idea yet._

 

Piper sighed a bit in disappointment, and put her phone away as Polly took her seat once again.

 

“So how’s your first week been?” Polly asked, taking a sip of her iced tea. “I feel like I’ve hardly got to talk to you since we’ve been back from break.”

 

Piper laughed, “I know! We’re on, like, completely opposite schedules. Whenever you stay at Pete’s, I’m home, and whenever you’re home, I’m staying at Alex’s.”

 

“Exactly!” Polly laughed and said, “We need to sync our schedules up better.” She paused to pop a chip into her mouth, “Speaking of, how are things with Alex?”

 

Piper sighed and averted her eyes to the side in a half eye roll, but quickly mustered up a smile and said, “They’re good!”

 

Polly noticed her initial reaction, though. She tilted her head slightly to the side and asked, “What’s up?”

 

Piper took a deep breath, staring at her bag of chips instead of her best friend. She wondered if she even wanted to get into it. “I don’t know,” she began, meeting Polly’s eyes once more. “It’s really nothing. It’s just getting kind of annoying sneaking around all the time and having to be so secretive.” She shrugged, “But, I mean, I knew it would be like this when we decided to date, so…”

 

Polly smiled sympathetically, “Just because you knew what you were getting into doesn’t mean it can’t still suck.”

 

“Right,” Piper continued. “I’m so happy to just be with Alex, _finally_ , but it’s frustrating when I want us to go out in public together, even just to dinner or a movie, and she is too nervous to go, because she doesn’t want anyone to see us. We can hardly even see each other during the day, because she doesn’t want Silvia to see me hanging around her office anymore now that she’s not my TA. And the few times we have met up on campus, we’ve had to meet in a supply closet or empty classroom!” Piper laughed in a would-you-believe-it sort of way. She shook her head.

 

“I figured sneaking around would be kind of fun?” Polly laughed too, taking a bite of her salad.

 

Piper smiled and raised her eyebrows, “Well, it was, _at first_. It was kind of exciting, like there’s always a chance of getting caught, which makes it seem more thrilling. But, it gets old. I just want to be able to visit my girlfriend in her office, or bring her lunch, or hold her hand as we walk to get coffee together. Just, like, normal stuff.”

 

“I hadn’t thought about any of that. That actually sounds really shitty.” Polly sympathized.

 

“I know!” Piper agreed. “Not to mention that when you first start dating someone you really like, you want to talk about them to your friends and bring them to parties and get-togethers and stuff. But Alex insists that no one other than you can know.” She shrugged and said, “I’m trying not to be hurt or get too upset about it, because I know that this is what I signed on for, that for now this is the way things are going to be. But sometimes it does hurt. Like on New Year’s.”

 

Polly nodded, “Yeah that was pretty shitty.”

 

Before Piper left to spend Christmas with her family, Alex had asked her to spend New Year’s Eve together. For the holiday, Piper’s friends were all planning to go out and celebrate. She had assumed that Alex would want to join, and she was excited for Alex to meet her friends. When she asked her about it, though, Alex told her that she had meant for them to spend it alone and that she wasn’t ready for other people to know that they were together. She was afraid that it would get back to her department chair. It didn’t turn into a fight or anything; Alex told her to go out with her friends and have fun. But Piper was still disappointed, because she had wanted to spend the night with Alex; had wanted to kiss Alex at midnight.

 

Piper glanced at her phone to check the time. Her lunch break was almost over, and now she was in a shitty mood. That was why she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to talk to Polly about it. On one hand, it did feel good to get it off her chest and confide in her best friend, but on the other hand, she was now ruminating about it all, when she had (mostly) successfully put it out of her mind.

 

Piper stood, picking up her empty plate. “I’ve gotta go. I’ve got class in ten.” She paused, then said, “I’m glad we had a chance to catch up! We should plan a night for us both to be home this week and hang out; I miss you!”

 

“That sounds like a great idea.” Polly also began to pack up and Piper began to walk away. “Oh, and Piper?” Piper paused and looked at her questioningly. “Maybe mention some of this to Alex? You guys should talk about it.”

 

Piper nodded and replied, “Yeah, I know. Thanks Pol. Have a good class!”

 

…

 

Piper didn’t talk to Alex about it.

 

She was too afraid of what her reaction would be. In her mind, Alex had been clear about what she expected when it came to their relationship, and Piper had agreed that it would be the safest bet for Alex if they kept their relationship secret for now. She felt like she didn’t have a right to complain about something she had already agreed to. So, she decided to suck it up. It was just four months until she’d be graduating, anyway, and then it wouldn’t matter anymore.

 

“Piper!”

 

Piper looked up as she exited the English building, squinting into the sunlight at the person who had addressed her. _Larry. Wonderful._

 

She suppressed an eye roll and forced a smile. “Hi, Larry,” she greeted, approaching him.

 

“Where are you heading?” Larry asked as they began to walk in step.

 

“I have a short break, so I was going to run get a coffee real quick. What about you?” Piper asked politely.

 

“Coffee actually sounds great. Mind if I walk with you?” Larry smiled at her in a way that she assumed was an attempt to be charming.

 

She sighed. There was no socially acceptable way to say “no”, so she mustered up enough fake cheerfulness to respond in a somewhat happy manner, “Sure!” It must have been convincing enough, because Larry didn’t pick up on her annoyance.

 

“Awesome!”

 

As they walked, she noticed Larry inching closer and closer to her, his arm swinging dangerously close to her own. She folded her arms across her chest, instead, removing the threat of an accidental hand touch, or even worse, hand grab.

 

They walked mostly in silence, with Larry, every couple of steps or so, turning to send a smile her way. She kept her eyes trained straight ahead.

 

“So, how’s your semester starting out?” Larry asked, in an attempt to start a conversation.

 

Piper shrugged, as Larry held the door to the coffee shop open for her. “It’s been fine, you know? Just ready to graduate.”

 

“I’m so ready, too. But also kind of nervous about having to go out and find a job. Feels so intimidating.”

 

Piper nodded. That feeling she could actually relate to. She smiled a genuine smile at Larry and reassured, “Litchfield prepares us really well. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of job offers lined up soon. Are you starting to apply this semester? Or waiting until closer to graduation?” As they entered the coffee shop, she did a quick scan of the place.

 

 _Oh shit._ As they approached the counter, she noticed Alex and Nicky bringing up the rear of the line.

 

This hadn’t happened before, them running into each other unplanned in public. She wasn’t really sure how to act. Should she acknowledge her or just pretend not to see her? Should she seemed surprised, as if they hadn’t spoken since before break?

 

Larry droned on, luckily not noticing her slight distress, but she had tuned him out. Alex glanced up at them as they approached and their eyes locked together. She decided she’d just follow Alex’s lead.

 

“Piper, hey,” Alex said, smooth as always. She had a smile on her face, but the rest of her expression was unreadable to Piper. Her eyes darted between Piper and Larry.

 

“Hey, um, Alex. How are you?” Piper responded, and she knew the hesitance was clear on her voice.

 

“I’m good; really good.” She said with a smile, her eyes sparkling as she held eye contact with Piper in a sort of inside joke kind of way.

 

Larry cleared his throat, and Piper broke the eye contact.

 

“Oh. Um, this is my TA from last semester, Alex.” She introduced.

 

Larry smiled cordially. “I remember! You stopped by our tailgate once.”

 

Alex smirked and said, “Oh, right. Barry, was it?”

 

Larry’s smile disappeared quickly. “Actually, um, Larry.”

 

Alex nodded and the four of them stood in awkward silence. Nicky hadn’t said anything, but Piper could see that she was clearly amused.

 

After they had ordered and received their drinks, Larry made a move to steer Piper for the door, literally, as he pressed his hand into the small of her back.

 

She grimaced and attempted to pull away. _Oh my god. Why did all of this have to happen??_ She could not imagine a more awkward situation.

 

“Actually, Piper, could I talk to you real quick?” When Piper turned, her eyes found Alex’s which were narrowing threateningly at the sight of Larry’s hand on her back.

 

“Of course!” Piper said immediately, jumping away from Larry. “I’ll catch up with you later, Larry.” It was easy to dismiss him, especially since she hadn’t even wanted to be with him in the first place.

 

Larry looked disappointed. “Okay, yeah. I guess I’ll see you for dinner and a movie Friday night? With Polly and Pete? Pete mentioned you’d be coming, too.”

 

Piper nearly groaned in annoyance. She was going to _kill_ Polly. “I’ll be there,” she forced out.

 

“What the hell was that?” Alex asked once she had pulled Piper into a secluded corner. She sounded mad.

 

Piper shrugged and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry,” she said, “we never really discussed what to do if we just ran into each other like this. I hope I wasn’t too obvious.”

 

Alex shook her head. “No, I mean, why were you getting coffee with that pinhead?”

 

Piper’s eyes widened in surprise. _Was Alex jealous of Larry?_ “Trust me, I didn’t _want_ to get coffee with him.”

 

“Really?” Alex didn’t sound convinced. “Well, he’s clearly into you. And you’re going to dinner and a movie with him Friday night?”

 

Piper could feel herself getting angry and defensive at Alex’s accusatory tone. Alex had no reason to be upset, when it was she who was so insistent on them keeping things secret. “ _With_ Polly and Pete! _You_ told me Polly couldn’t tell Pete that we’re together, and Pete is friends with Larry, who _yes_ , happens to like me. Pete keeps trying to set us up, because he thinks we’re both single and he wants to hang out with his friend.” Alex’s eyes widened in surprise, but Piper kept going. “Now _I_ have to keep fending off his advances, because I can’t tell him I’m seeing someone!”

 

Even though Piper was worked up, Alex remained calm. She said, “Why didn’t you mention any of this?”

 

Piper took a calming breath and looked around. They were secluded enough, and she had kept her voice quiet enough, that they hadn’t drawn any attention. “I was afraid you’d break up with me if I told you I’m getting tired of sneaking around all the time. I’m trying to just deal with it, because I know your education is important, and I don’t want you to get into trouble.” She paused, averting her eyes. “I guess I was just hoping that with a new semester, with you no longer my TA, that things would relax a little bit, and that we could feel like a real couple.”

 

Alex’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion and hurt. “You don’t feel like we’re a real couple?”

 

“No, that came out wrong,” Piper shook her head vehemently, “that’s not what I meant. What I’m trying to say is that… I wish I could bring you around my friends and introduce you as my girlfriend. I wish I could tell Larry or anyone else who might be interested to move along, because I’m taken. I wish we could be seen together in public and not worry about how to act so that I don’t give anything away.”

 

Alex nodded, looking around quickly and then gently grabbing Piper’s hand in her own. “I wish for all of those things, too, Piper. I’m still just nervous about what will happen if someone finds out.”

 

Piper smiled, “I know, and I understand that.”

 

Alex tugged her a little closer, “But that shouldn’t mean that you have to be miserable either, Pipes.”

 

“What should we do then?” Piper asked.

 

Alex smiled and shrugged, “Compromise? Maybe loosen up on the secrecy a little. I mean, there’s no rule that says we can’t be _friends_. That way, we can meet up in public and I can meet your friends. It doesn’t really solve the Larry issue, but maybe Polly can tell Pete, so he’ll stop pushing you two together and you could tell Larry that you are seeing someone.”

 

Piper smiled, “That sounds really good.” Not perfect, because perfect would be being totally transparent about their relationship, but definitely better than how things were currently.

 

Piper took a step forward, then hesitated, and Alex realized just how uncertain she was about her every move. Alex hated herself a little then. She pulled the smaller girl the rest of the way to her, saying, “Come here,” and engulfing her in a hug.

 

As they pulled away, Alex kept their faces close, even going so far as to peck Piper quickly on the lips. She then sighed and said, “I’ve got a meeting I’m almost late for.” She tucked a loose strand of Piper’s hair behind her ear, then tugged lightly on her earlobe. “Why don’t you come by my office for lunch tomorrow? I can pick up sandwiches and see if Nicky wants to join us.”

 

Piper’s smile widened and her eyes sparkled. “Really?” she asked, a little surprised at how much Alex was already changing due to their conversation. How easy it seemed, already.

 

“Yes, really,” Alex replied with a small eye roll and teasing smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, around 11:30 maybe?” Piper nodded and Alex took a few steps back. As she started to walk away, she turned back to smile reassuringly and said, “And Pipes? Good talk.”

 

…

 

“Good afternoon, Blondie. May I take your coat?” Nicky greeted with an exaggerated bow when Piper appeared at their office the next day for lunch. She continued to play hostess. “Just one today? Well, we’re all booked up, but I can seat you with that hot brunette over there.” Nicky waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

 

Piper shook her head at Nicky’s antics, meeting Alex’s amused expression. Alex’s eyes sparkled, “Yes, do sit over here. I’m just a sugar mama searching for a sugar baby, and you’ll do just fine.” Piper laughed, and Nicky actually took her coat for her, flinging it over the spare office chair. “But really,” Alex continued patting the chair next to hers, “Come sit.”

 

When they were all seated around Alex’s desk, Alex reached into the mini fridge and pulled out the sub sandwiches she had brought for them all. She passed a lemonade to both Nicky and Piper, then settled one in front of her own plate.

 

“Oh, wait,” Nicky said, standing. “I’ve got just the thing we need to perfect our spread.” She rummaged around in her desk drawer for a minute, exclaiming, “Voila!” as she presented a candle. She set it in the middle of Alex’s desk and lit it with a match she had also grabbed from her desk drawer. “Now that’s nice,” she said, admiring her work as she sat. She followed the statement with a big appreciative bite of her sandwich.

 

Piper couldn’t help beaming at their little indoor picnic. As silly as it was, this was the sort of the thing she had been craving to do with Alex. Spending time with each other’s friends, and not having to hide their relationship.

 

Alex barked out a laugh, “Why do you have a candle stashed in your desk?”

 

“It’s for when I work late and want to smoke. It masks the pot smell a little,” Nicky explained, causing Alex and Piper to burst out laughing. “What?” Nicky asked, but she was smiling. “A girl’s gotta take precautions, you know?”

 

They continued to chat as they ate their lunch with Nicky filling Piper in on how things were going with Morello and what she got up to over break. They talked about school a little, but Piper could tell that school wasn’t really something these two discussed much. When she asked Alex about it later, Alex had explained that as a graduate student, school was more like a job, and no one wants to discuss work outside of work.

 

At around noon, Nicky stood and said, “I’ve gotta jet, and I figure you two lovebirds might want some time alone anyway.” She punctuated the statement with an over-exaggerated wink.

 

Alex met Piper’s eyes and smiled suggestively with a little shrug that seemed to say, “might as well.”

 

Nicky swung her bag over her shoulder and called, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” and pulled the door to the office shut behind her.

 

Piper smiled, tilting her head shyly to the side as she looked at Alex, “That was perfect, Al. Thank you for setting it all up.”

 

“Get over here,” Alex said in response, her voice a bit huskier than usual. She pulled on the armrest of Piper’s desk chair, and the chair rolled easily over to her girlfriend. Alex leaned forward, bringing their faces closer together while holding steady eye contact, and whispered, “Hey.”

 

Piper blinked slowly, feeling her heartrate pick up at their close proximity. Her eyes darted down to Alex’s full lips, then back up as she also leaned forward whispering, “Hi.”

 

She watched as Alex’s eyes fluttered shut, and then felt the soft press of lips against her own. Alex’s grip on the armrest loosened, and she brought her hand up to weave into Piper’s long tresses. She used her hand to cup the back of Piper’s head, bringing her face closer and deepening the kiss.

 

She pulled back after a couple of seconds and chuckled softly. “I’ve been wanting to do that since you first walked in here and looked all flustered when Nicky called me hot.”

 

Piper giggled and said, “You _are_ hot. I missed you last night.”

 

Alex tried to tug Piper closer, but their chairs were already flush against one another. She pulled instead on Piper’s shirt sleeve, and Piper climbed onto Alex’s lap, straddling her. “Me too,” Alex agreed, leaning forward to press a kiss to the long column of Piper’s neck. Her hands gripped at the younger girl’s waist. “Did you have fun with Polly though?”

 

Piper’s head rolled back and her arms snaked around Alex’s shoulders. Her fingers massaged lightly at Alex’s hairline at the base of her skull. “I did,” Piper affirmed. Alex felt the vibration of her words against her lips.

 

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the moment. And unfortunately it was the kind of knock that signaled entry, not the kind that asked permission. The door began to swing open. “Alex? Are you in here? I thought I heard voices – Oh my god! What the fuck?”

 

It all happened so quickly, Piper hadn’t any time to climb off Alex’s lap. Silvia’s face was a mixture of shock and outrage. Alex gently pushed Piper off her lap and stood, walking over to Silvia as she continued her tirade. “I fucking knew it! You were fucking her this whole time! Is she the reason you broke up with me?”

 

“Silvie, stop, calm down,” Alex pressed, attempting to get her to lower her voice.

 

Piper backed into the corner of the office, nearly shaking with nerves. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Someone had caught them, and the position they were in was anything but innocent. There was no explaining this away.

 

“You whore!” She shouted, directing her anger at Piper. She tried to approach the blonde, but Alex blocked her.

 

“Silvie, stop! I ended things with you before I even met Piper. You and I haven’t been anything for nearly six months, get over it.”

 

Silvia turned her anger back to Alex. “Whatever Alex. I’m sure the board will have plenty to say about this.” She turned to Piper, “You better watch your back, whore.” And then she turned and stormed out.

 

“Fuck,” Alex said, turning back to Piper. “Are you okay?”

 

Piper was obviously shaken up. She nodded though. “I’m so sorry, Alex.”

 

Alex shook her head and pulled Piper into a hug. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s not your fault that Silvia is such a psycho bitch.”

 

Piper shook her head against Alex’s shoulder. “I’m still sorry that you have to go through all this for me.”

 

Alex didn’t respond, but continued to rub her back comfortingly.

 

“Did you…? Break up with her for me?” Piper asked hesitantly. It was one of those things that still bothered her a little, not knowing if Alex and Silvia had overlapped any with Alex and Piper.

 

Alex shook her head. She pulled back slightly and cupped Piper’s face in her hands. “I ended things with Silvia at the end of summer, before the semester even started.”

 

“Did you love her?” Piper whispered.

 

Alex shook her head. “No,” she paused, looking deeply into Piper’s eyes, “but I love you.”

 

“You do?” Piper needed confirmation. She could feel her eyes growing wet.

 

Alex nodded and kissed her sweetly. “Now you have to say it back,” Alex said as she pulled away, and for the first time since she had met Alex, Piper saw some of her confidence waver, could hear the insecurity in her voice.

 

“I love you, too, Alex.”

 

…

 

“Well, there it is.” Alex reclined back in her desk chair, staring at her laptop screen.

 

“Huh?” her officemate asked, confused, and swiveled around in her chair to face the darker haired girl.

 

“I just got an email from Fig. She wants to have a meeting to do an investigation into my relationship with Piper.” Alex sighed heavily. “Fucking Silvie.”

 

Nicky stood and read the email over Alex’s shoulder. “That actually doesn’t sound too bad, though. It just seems like she wants to make sure Piper received the grade she actually earned in Healy’s class; that you didn’t give her extra points or anything. She doesn’t mention how you broke a rule at all!”

 

Alex read the email over again and found that Nicky was right; it didn’t seem like she was in trouble. “Hmm. Maybe you’re right?”

 

The meeting took place the following Monday. Dr. Figueroa, the chair of the psychology department, Dr. Caputo, Alex’s advisor, and Dr. Healy were all in attendance.

 

Fig could tell Alex seemed nervous, so she began by saying, “Don’t worry, Alex. We’re on your side, here. We just need to make sure that there was no wrongdoing to protect the department. If that’s the case, then this is really all just a formality.”

 

Alex breathed out a small sigh of relief, relaxing just a bit. She was still nervous, but it was comforting to hear that the department was behind her. She nodded, and Fig continued, “Can you tell us the nature of your relationship with Piper Chapman?”

 

“We’re dating,” Alex responded, briefly glancing at the small recording device in the center of the table.

 

“When did your relationship begin?” Caputo asked, sending her a reassuring smile.

 

Alex looked to the ceiling, unsure how to answer the question. “Well, we kissed over Thanksgiving Break, but we didn’t start dating until two weeks before Winter Break.”

 

“Okay, so for most of the semester that you were her TA, you were not romantically involved. How would you characterize your relationship up to Thanksgiving?” Fig asked, jotting something down in a notebook.

 

Alex shrugged, “Um, friendly? She started coming to my office hours for some additional help and we got to know each other a bit better because of that. There was some flirting,” Alex continued, truthfully, “and I started to like her and had a feeling she liked me, too.”

 

“And were you aware of the rule the university has against graduate students becoming involved with undergraduate students?” Healy pressed. Fig rolled her eyes.

 

Alex nodded, “I was. That’s why we didn’t kiss until Thanksgiving, and even after that it took us a few weeks to start dating. I tried really hard to abide by the rule, especially while I was her TA.”

 

“Personally, I think the rule is outdated and is in need of an update; however it does serve a purpose. This is the last question I have for you for now, Alex. Did you ever do anything to give Piper an unfair advantage in class? This can include the sharing of course materials early, adding points to an assignment that were not earned, or changing incorrect responses on an assignment.”

 

Alex shook her head. “No, I did not.”

 

…

 

Piper entered the room cautiously.

 

“Hello, Piper; come on in and have a seat. I’m Dr. Figueroa, the chair of the psychology department. This is Dr. Caputo, Alex’s advisor, and you know Dr. Healy.”

 

Piper nodded, carefully situating herself across the table from the other three. She took a calming breath, bravely meeting the professors’ eyes.

 

Dr. Figueroa was straightforward, but kind. She said, “There’s no need to be nervous, Piper. We just need to ask you a few questions, and we need to you be honest with us. Okay?”

 

Piper nodded again to acknowledge her understanding.

 

“Alright.” Dr. Figueroa began, “What is your major and minor area of study?”

 

Piper cleared her throat. “I’m double-majoring in English and Theatre. I don’t have a minor.”

 

Dr. Figueroa nodded. “And what year are you?”

 

“I’m a senior; this is my last semester.” Piper responded.

 

The questioning went on for a few minutes more, as Dr. Figueroa and Dr. Caputo asked her questions pertaining to the nature of her relationship with Alex.

 

“Thank you for your time and honesty, Piper. We have one last question for you. Did you ever feel coerced by Alex? Did she offer you any special benefits for becoming romantically involved or threaten you in any way?”

 

“Never.”

 

…

 

Piper passed Alex as she went to re-enter the room for the final part of the meeting. Alex grabbed her hand lightly as they passed, squeezing it reassuringly. Piper smiled and said softly, “I’m gonna wait out here for you, okay?”

 

Alex nodded and released her hand, took a deep breath, and entered the room once again.

 

Fig smiled, “Have a seat, Alex. We just need to go over Piper’s assignments and grades to ensure that they match up. Everything seems to check out so far, so this is the last hurdle.”

 

Alex sighed and actually smiled. That sounded hopeful. They definitely seemed to be focusing more on the purpose behind the rule and not the breaking of the rule itself, which was in her favor.

 

As they finished checking over the work, Dr. Caputo said, “It looks like the grades on the assignments are consistent with those in the gradebook. Alex seems to have handled the situation professionally, and did not let her personal feelings influence her objectivity in her TA assignment.”

 

“I agree,” Fig said, smiling. “I think this is a straightforward case. Piper is in her last semester at Litchfield, and she isn’t even a psychology major. There isn’t any evidence of fabricating grades or work, and Piper’s records indicate that she is a good student. I think that maybe one thing _we_ need to do is add an item to our next faculty meeting agenda about amending this rule; make it easier for students to come forward when this happens and maybe provide a course transfer if it does. There are ways to make it work so that it is fair for everyone involved.”

 

Alex looked at them expectantly. “You’re good, Alex. Thanks for bearing with us through all this.”

 

Alex’s eyes widened. Could it really be that easy? “Really? So, Piper and I can be together?” She couldn’t help the skeptical note from entering her voice. This rule had loomed over her head for an entire semester, and they were just going to let it go?

 

Fig smirked. “Yes, really. Now go, so the three of us can finish up our notes and get out of here.”

 

…

 

Piper’s head shot up as she heard the door to the meeting room open. She had planted herself on the floor, her back propped up against the wall with a textbook open in her lap. She had to admit she had been having a terrible time comprehending the words she was reading.

 

Her eyes met Alex’s expectantly, but her face began to fall immediately at Alex’s stoic expression.

 

“Well?” Piper asked nervously.

 

It was then that the smile split across Alex’s face. “Come here!” she said, holding her arms out.

 

“Really?” Piper squealed, her own smile matching the brunette’s as she jumped up and ran into Alex’s waiting arms. Alex’s arms squeezed her waist tightly in her excitement, nearly lifting her feet off the floor, but Piper didn’t mind. She was just so relieved to not have to keep their relationship a secret anymore.

 

Alex loosened her grip and pulled away slightly to look into Piper’s shining blue eyes. Alex cupped the blonde’s face, and brushed the tears away gently with her thumb. She leaned forward, eyes fluttering closed, and pressed her lips softly to Piper’s. She laughed joyfully as she pulled away and whispered, “Salty.”

 

Piper giggled, too. “Sorry,” she replied. “I’m just so happy; we can do so many things now, be a real couple. What should we do first?”

 

Alex pretended to ponder and then suggested, “Go back to my place and watch more Gilmore Girls?”

 

“Alexxxxxxx,” Piper whined playfully.

 

“What?” Alex asked innocently, although the mischievous twinkle in her eyes and the laughter in her voice made it obvious she was teasing. “I’m dying to see if Lorelai and Luke get together!”

 

_End._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear your thoughts!

**Author's Note:**

> Working on editing some old fanfiction to get my creativity flowing again! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> H.M. :)


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